The recent, catastrophic floods that hit Colorado have been unfortunately touted as a 100 year event. Some even went so far as to say it's a one in a 1000 years event. That of course is due to how you interpret the .01 to 1.0 % chance of that event yearly.
Such statements, although nearly true, are fodder for conspiracy theorists, who seem to miss no occasion for their abstruse conjectures.
The event which triggered the fateful flooding, and landslides, is a phenomenon that does hit that region at about .01 to 1.0 % probability a year. That said, there is nothing normal about that storm.
As scientist Bill Nye quipped on a recent show, when you see a flooding phenomenon of this magnitude on a slope, instead of a plain, you might want to consider global warming.
But that has not deterred conspiracy theorists from getting in the speculation mix.
Indeed some have blamed the cloud seeding program, and probably had some help from the likes of known conspiracy broadcasters or bloggers, who have absolutely no comprehension of scientific phenomena.
The cloud seeding program is indeed employed in the region during the ski season, to augment what could be a poor snowfall season. The cloud seeding is accomplished by spraying silver iodide molecules in the atmosphere to provide a core for ice crystals to form. The program does seem to provide an improved snowfall of about 10-15% in certain ski slopes.
However, to cause this massive a system, the cloud seeding would have had to be done on an enormous scale, across hundreds of miles. That is just not possible with cloud seeding.
Another detail missed by the would be conspiracy buffs is the fact that the little cloud seeding that is done, actually takes place on the opposite side of the that state, where the ski resorts are located.
Furthemore, the cloud seeding program to enhance snowfall does not begin until later in the year, when the ski resorts are open.
Source : Live Science/ 9.17.13
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