Dubai drenched with artificial rain thanks to cloud seeding technology

Footage shows Dubai battered with torrential rain, which swells streams and floods dirt roads. It’s an unexpected sight in the arid United Arab Emirates city where July temperatures often soar above 40 degrees Celsius.

The video was released by the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology, which says the rainfall was enhanced by cloud seeding efforts, whereby salt is released into clouds to encourage precipitation.

The UAE has also been testing drones that fly into clouds and deliver an electric charge to air molecules to cajole them into producing rain. The government has invested millions of dollars in rain-enhancement projects.