Manipulating the clouds to make it rain or snow sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the technology behind cloud seeding is nothing new: It dates back to the 1940s. 

That science got a new look recently when lawmakers ordered the Government Accountability Office to re-examine the possibilities of cloud seeding as water becomes a more precious resource in the U.S. The newly published report calls cloud seeding promising, but also says more research is needed. 

That got Alex Hager – KUNC's in-house water reporter -- thinking about how cloud seeding might affect what’s probably the biggest water story in the nation: the drought-stricken Colorado River. Alex wrote about it recently, and joined In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole to talk about what he learned.  

For more on the Colorado River, check out KUNC’s award-winning podcast Thirst Gap.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.