Conditions haven't been favorable in recent weeks for an experiment to see if cloud seeding can boost snowfall in three mountain ranges.
The $9 million, state-funded study involves spraying the air above the Medicine Bow, Sierra Madre and Wind River ranges with silver iodide, using both aircraft and ground-based generators.
Researchers missed the first half of this winter because they hadn't finished installing the generators. Conditions since then haven't been very cooperative, said Bruce Boe, director of meteorology for Weather Modification Inc., based in Fargo, N.D.
Precipitation has been below average, especially in the Wind River Range, and recent warm weather hasn't been good for cloud seeding, either.
"What I could really use right now is more cold weather," Boe said.
The experiment will continue for three more winters, however.
The project is a joint effort of the state Water Development Commission, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Weather Modification Inc.