Current Cloud Seeding Operations: Tahoe & Truckee Basins
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations: Tahoe & Truckee Basins Winter 2023-2024 To view current DRI weather station data within this network see: Barker Pass, CA; Bunker Hill, CA; Northstar Ski Resort, CA; Spooner...
Current Cloud Seeding Operations: Spring Mountains
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations: Spring Mountains Winter 2023-2024 To view current DRI and Lee Canyon weather station data within this network see: East Manse Rd, NV; Lee Canyon Ski Area, NV To view current DRI...
Current Cloud Seeding Operations: Santa Rosa Mountains
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations: Santa Rosa Mountains Winter 2023-2024 Comments: All cloud seeding ops data is provisional and subject to revision. * = current SNOTEL data may not provide a valid measure of...
Current Cloud Seeding Operations: Ruby Mountains
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations: Ruby Mountains Winter 2023-2024 To view current DRI weather station data within this network see: Elko Mnt, NV; Riordan, NV To view current DRI heated camera image within this...
Current Cloud Seeding Operations: Carson Basin
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations: Carson Basin Winter 2023-2024 To view current DRI weather station data within this network see: Sorensen’s Resort, CA Carson Basin Project Area Map Cloud Seeding...
Cloud Seeding Contact
Cloud Seeding Program Contact the Cloud Seeding Program Name Email Address Message 1 + 2 = SUBMIT Cloud Seeding Program What is Cloud Seeding? Current Operations Operating Criteria Safety Guidelines Equipment and Services...
Cloud Seeding Projects
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Research Projects Research on Snowfall AugmentationOperational weather modification projects to augment snowfall have benefitted from the results of numerous research experiments that have...
Cloud Seeding Equipment and Services
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Equipment and Services The DRI Cloud Seeding Program is operated from the Desert Research Institute Division of Atmospheric Sciences, located in the Northern Nevada Science Center (NNSC),...
Cloud Seeding Operations Criteria
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations Criteria The following weather and cloud conditions should exist in order to initiate or continue cloud seeding operations in any area where DRI has a seeding project. Operations...
Cloud Seeding Safety Guidelines
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Safety Guidelines In the event of any emergency which affects public welfare in the region of any seeding operations being carried on by the DRI Cloud Seeding Program, the seeding operations...
What is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud Seeding Program What is Cloud Seeding? Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals that form when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses around a tiny particle of dust or salt floating in the...
Cloud Seeding Partners in the Community
Cloud Seeding Program DRI Sponsors and Partners in Water Resource Enhancement Research Across the West Cloud Seeding Program What is Cloud Seeding? Current Operations Operating Criteria Safety Guidelines Equipment and...
Current Cloud Seeding Operations
Cloud Seeding Program Current Cloud Seeding Operations Winter 2023-2024 For details on a specific project, follow the links below. Nevada State projects State NV Carson Basin State NV Ruby Mountains State NV Santa Rosa Mountains...
Cloud Seeding Program
Cloud Seeding Program Program Description During the early 1960s, scientists from the Desert Research Institute (DRI) helped to pioneer the science of wintertime cloud seeding, developing research-based methods for increasing...
Making it Snow: A Brief History and Review of the Science Behind Cloud-Seeding
BlogFeatured researchers
March 15, 2023
The snow-inducing technique called cloud-seeding has been around for more than 60 years. Although not a panacea for drought-stricken regions, cloud-seeding can increase seasonal precipitation by about 10%. In the Reno area alone, winter cloud-seeding efforts are estimated to add enough water to supply about 40,000 households for a year.
The impact of ground-based glaciogenic seeding on clouds and precipitation over mountains: A multi-sensor case study of shallow precipitating orographic cumuli
The impact of ground-based glaciogenic seeding on clouds and precipitation over mountains: A multi-sensor case study of shallow precipitating orographic cumuli Pokharel, A. K., Geerts, B., Jing, X.,
Jim Hudson: Celebrating a Career in Cloud Physics
BlogFeatured researchers
November 16, 2022
Research Professor Jim Hudson, Ph.D., DRI’s longest-serving employee, recently retired from DRI after 51 years studying cloud physics.
Save Red Rock Partners with DRI to “Make it Rain” in Red Rock Canyon
AnnouncementsNews releases
September 1, 2022
Save Red Rock is partnering with DRI to fund a cloud seeding program which will augment precipitation in the Spring Mountains, helping to replenish the aquifers within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
Research Park
The DRI Research Park comprises 328 total acres and is home to DRI’s Northern Nevada Science Center campus with over 350 faculty and support staff, 40 specialized labs and facilities, and $50 million in annual research.
DRI and the Springs Preserve Launch Adult Science Education Series
AnnouncementsNews releases
April 4, 2023
DRI, in partnership with the Springs Preserve, announces the launch of DRI Science at the Springs. In the series, which launches on April 20, DRI scientists and other guests address some of the world’s most urgent concerns while also telling the tale of what it means to live in Nevada on the front lines of a changing climate.
Research Areas – Laboratories, Programs, Projects and Facilities
Research Areas – Laboratories, Programs, Projects and Facilities Air Quality Labs and Facilities Aerosol Physics Laboratory ASTER Laboratory Combustion Chamber Dust Entrainment and Characterization Facility Environmental...
Research Programs and Networks
Research Programs and Networks Leading unique research programs serving Nevada, the nation, and the world DRI’s research programs focus on the multidisciplinary connections between our faculty and staff. Center for...
Advanced Autonomous Systems
Advanced Autonomous Systems Pioneering Research with UAS Technology Researchers at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) are exploring ways in which unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are increasingly being used in civilian...
Putting the Knowledge Fund to Work
BlogFeatured projects
January 29, 2019
Created in 2013 by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Knowledge Fund spurs research, innovation, and commercialization in Nevada. Thanks to support from the Knowledge Fund, researchers across the Silver...
Atmospheric Sciences
Atmospheric Sciences Atmospheric Sciences The Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) conducts basic and applied research and provides services related to air quality and associated health risks, cloud and aerosol physics,...
DRI’s History
DRI’s History A 60-year history of impact and innovation across Nevada and around the world. In 1959, the Nevada State Legislature passed NRS396.7951, creating a division of the University of Nevada specifically devoted to...
Home Page
Working to solve our most challenging environmental problems. Since 1959, the faculty, students, and staff at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) have advanced scientific knowledge to help solve pressing environmental challenges and improve human health.
Trace Chemistry/Ice Core Laboratory
Trace Chemistry/Ice Core Laboratory Lab Description DRI’s Trace Chemistry Laboratory was established in 1967 specifically to provide support for monitoring and assessing the impacts of the cloud seeding activities...
Airborne Systems Research and Environmental Testing at DRI
BlogFeatured projects
October 24, 2018
Visit DRI’s Northern Nevada campus on a clear afternoon, and you may hear a near-deafening buzzing. A massive swarm of bees? Thankfully, no—it’s an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or drone, being flown by researchers from...
About DRI
We are Nevada’s non-profit research institute, founded in 1959 to empower experts to focus on science that matters. We work with communities across the state –and the world– to address their most pressing scientific questions, while building bridges between scientists and policymakers to enact positive change.
For Journalists
Telling the story of research and innovation. DRI’s Office of External Affairs and Communications provides support to research faculty and staff to generate awareness and engagement that inspires action to sustain research at DRI.
Research Highlights
Research Highlights View the latest Semi-Annual Reports and Featured Storymaps DRI Research Highlights: 2025, Volume 1 This semi-annual report highlights some of our latest research. Our cover story features science on how...
Community Support for Nevada Robotics
Donor StoriesProceeds from Click Bond’s Valentine candy-gram employee fundraiser, which were matched through its Employee Charitable Giving Match program, were donated to Nevada Robotics to help ensure students have equitable access to computer science and STEM education.
Can Scientific Ingenuity Turn the Clock Back on Climate Change?
Featured researchersAn interview with atmospheric scientist David Mitchell, Ph.D., who first proposed research into the climate intervention research of cirrus cloud-thinning.
Looking for Answers in a Warming World
BlogFeatured researchers
June 14, 2023
DRI researchers are examining the potential for climate intervention techniques to help cool communities – and the planet
DRI Ice Core Lab Data Shows Magnitude of Historic Fire Activity in Southern Hemisphere
News releasesResearch findings
May 28, 2021
A new study in Science Advances features ice core data from the DRI Ice Core Laboratory and research by Nathan Chellman, Ph.D., Monica Arienzo, Ph.D., and Joe McConnell, Ph.D.
