rain

Who is stealing Iran’s rain?

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In 1947, some funded experiments by the US army managed to cause artificial rainfall for the first time in history. Today, more than 50 countries have tried similar techniques. And in some regions of the world, modifying the sky is no longer just a scientific question, but a strategic tool with implications much deeper than it seems. The origin of a suspicion. The simple idea that one nation is “stealing” rain from another seems like fertile ground for science fiction. In the Middle East, however, it is not born in this warbut in a mix of extreme droughts, political tensions and poorly understood technology. It all started when in 2018, in the midst of the water crisis, an Iranian high command accused neighboring countries (including the Emirates) to prevent clouds from dumping on Iran. The hypothesis fit well in a context of regional rivalry and climate despair. And although science never supported such an idea, the concept caught on because it offered a simple explanation to a complex problem. Since then, the suspicion has evolved from an isolated comment to a recurring narrative. The war of the clouds. The technical basis for this accusation is cloud seedinga real practice that consists of introducing particles to encourage rain. Emirates has turned it into a almost strategic policywith million-dollar investments, pilots on permanent alert and almost military protocols. Iran also uses it, but with questionable results. The problem is that this technology, already difficult to measure, has become perfect fuel for theories of “atmospheric theft.” And so, what began as an experimental technique has led to a geopolitical narrative where clouds are perceived as contested resources. Clouds don’t steal (although that doesn’t matter). The experts are clear: clouds are ephemeral systems that last for hours and move constantly, which makes it practically impossible that one country deliberately “steals” rain from another. Furthermore, not even is proven that planting significantly increases rainfall. But the problem is not physics, but the perception. In an environment of extreme drought, viral images Different skies between neighboring countries or intense rains after planting operations fuel suspicion. And that suspicion, although scientifically weak, has enormous political power. Hence the images that we are seeing these days with the serious floods in the United Arab Emirates have paradoxically served as fuel for accusations on the other side. Looking for a culprit. The narrative of “rain theft” has grown at the same rate as the Iranian water crisis. With overexploited aquifers, almost empty reservoirs, disappearing lakes and agriculture that consumes most of the water, the country faces an unsustainable structural situation. Precipitation has fallen to historic lows. Cities are close to water collapse. And in that context, pointing out external actors serves to divert attention from decades of mismanagement, overexploitation and failed political decisions. The rain does not disappear because someone steals it, but because the system that was supposed to manage it no longer works. Emirates, from water power to military actor. And while Iran seeks explanations, the Emirates has bet to control their water vulnerability with money, technology and strategy. Cloud seeding is just one piece of a model that also includes mass desalination and planning in the long term. But now the context has changed dangerously. Emirates is starting to move towards a more direct involvement in the conflict with Iran. In fact, it is closing Iranian assets, putting economic pressure on it and valuing his entry into the war. And in this new scenario, that old accusation, that of stealing rain, can become one more element of political and narrative friction. From conspiracy to escalation. If you also want, the dangerous thing is not if the accusation is truebut rather what allows justifying. In a region where energy, water and security are intertwined, turning climate into a narrative weapon opens a dangerous door. From that perspective, tensions are no longer limited to missiles or drones, but extend to the invisible terrain of natural resources. And as the Emirates and other Gulf countries come closer to warany narrative that reinforces the idea of ​​aggression (even if it is climatic) can escalate the conflict beyond the military. An uncomfortable answer. So, if the question is whether Iran and the Emirates are stealing the rainthe real answer is much more disturbing than any conspiracy theory. Because it’s not that someone is deflecting the clouds with fantastic power, it’s that the climate system, the overexploitation of resources and human pressure are reducing availability of water throughout the region. Worse still, since even when tries to “make” rainmany times there is not enough humidity to do so. And the thing is that, deep down, the real war is not for who controls the cloudsbut about how to survive in an environment where there is less and less water to distribute. Image | USN In Xataka | A dangerous countdown ends in four days in Iran. So everyone is looking at the same place: Ukraine and the secret of its energy shield In Xataka | Iran has led the world to desperately search for energy sources. So China has made an irrefutable proposal to Taiwan

the rain of generics that promises to sink prices in some countries

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The drug that revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry and forever changed the paradigm of the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes, as is Ozempicfaces its biggest challenge: the end of its marketing patent. Specifically, the patent of the semaglutidewhich is the active ingredient behind Ozempic and wegovyexpires in March 2026 in several international markets, opening the door to production of the famous generic drugs which are more affordable. The success of Ozempic. Developed by fDanish firm Novo Nordiskhas been meteoric and originally approved in 2017 for type 2 diabetes, what has really surprised is that its use outside the technical indication is what has exploded: weight loss. And many do not know that it is actually a treatment for diabetes. And it is logical, because the figures that have remained in our conscience are that there are losses of up to 15-20% of body weightwith proven cardiovascular benefits and a multimillion-dollar business behind it. The problem is that the price of this treatment is not at all accessible, even with a medical prescription, and that is why the possibility of developing generics will make it possible to democratize this medication for the most serious cases of obesity. The patents. Developing a drug is not cheap for pharmaceutical companies and that is why, when it is marketed, large companies want to make as much money as possible with the exclusivity that no other laboratory can produce and sell it. But these pharmaceutical patents have a standard life of 20 years, and when they are met, other laboratories can take the ‘recipe’ and create their medications with this active ingredient, but at a lower price as if it were the white label. The map of expiration. In this way, since Novo Nordisk applied for the base patent around 2006, the clock stops in March 2026 for demographic giants like India, China and Brazil. And here there are no extensions that extend commercial exclusivity, so the season automatically begins to open so that any laboratory can begin to produce its own brand. And the impact is immediate in places like India, which are already preparing to immediately market genetics like Obeda or GLIPIQ. The result will be a drop in costs between 80 and 90% to have a price of just 15 to 30 dollars per month for the treatment. Although they are not the first countries to integrate it because in Canada the monopoly fell prematurely in January 2026 due to an administrative error: non-payment of the corresponding fees. What happens in Spain? The ‘cheap Ozempic’ will take longer to reach us, since in the European Union and the United States there are legal mechanisms to compensate for the long clinical trial and regulatory approval times that are imposed. In the particular European case, which is the one that affects us, it is known as Complementary Protection Certificate. Thanks to this exception, Novo Nordisk’s monopoly in Spain and the rest of Europe extends until March 2031, and in the United States it can even be extended until 2033. And it is bad news, because right now in Spain there are 19% of adults with obesity (and it is increasing), so the tension on the public system to finance this treatment does not stop growing. Novo Nordisk’s counterattack. The Danish company is not going to sit idly by watching its goose that lays golden eggs lose market share to Indian and Chinese generics. To maintain part of the economic pie, the company is developing more effective oral versions as they have a higher concentration of semaglutide. On the other hand, their big bet is called CagriSema, which is a combination of GLP-1 and amylin to further enhance weight reduction. All this in order to survive the end of its patent, which now begins in 2026 in large markets and which must be compensated with other alternatives beyond another presentation. In Xataka | Ozempic’s “great rebound”, in figures: science reveals that the weight returns four times faster than with a diet

The rain has transformed the driest desert on the planet into a sea of ​​flowers. It’s a sight to behold and a problem for experts

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The Atacama Desert bloomed again in spring. After the August rains, more than 200 species from the Chilean region were activated and provoked the first major flowering since 2017. The Internet was filled with impressive photos, but (beyond the hype) there is a central problem: increasingly clear signs of a destabilized climate system. What has happened? In August 2025, a storm left accumulated between 40 and 60 mm in the Chilean Atacama Region. Specifically in the south: in Huasco, Freirina, Vallenar and the Llanos de Challe National Park. As a consequence, flowering started in the third week of September and reached its peak between the end of September and mid-October. He show was amazing: a mantle of red and yellow añañucas, of sighs, of huilles, of guanaco legs and lion’s claws. And why are we talking about this now? It’s a good question. Historically desert blooms occurred between 5 and 7 years. Typically linked to El Niño phenomena. In the last 40 years, Chile has recorded about 15 superblooms. The striking thing about this case (as happened in 2022 and 2025) is that it is linked to La Niña conditions. And, indeed, one may be a coincidence, but three so close together mark a trend. And the problem is that more blooms are not always good news. And so? As explained Maria Fernanda Pérezan ecologist at the PUC of Chile, out-of-season blooms generate a gap between flowering and pollinators. What’s the point of having pollen if we don’t have bees to do their job? Indeed: absolutely nothing. What’s more, if climate change causes this type of blooms on a regular basis, this deregulation could cause very serious problems. After all, just think that a guanaco paw seed can spend fifteen years on the desert floor until its time comes; If it germinates and there is no one to pollinate it, there will not be another seed. Climate change is going to cause us more problems than we are able to imagine. Because the serious thing is not the sea level, the melting of the glaciers or the rise in temperatures (that too). The most important thing is these little things that change everything. Things so small that we haven’t thought about them. Image | In Xataka | The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on the planet. And right there a bunch of “crazies” are trying to get water out of the fog.

The rain in Seville is wonderful and now it is also converted into energy with the new CSIC solar panels

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If there is a renewable energy that has emerged in recent years, it is solar, as can be seen in this graph of the International Energy Agency. However, solar energy still has its limitations: it requires space (hence there are projects in lakes and in the open sea) and of course, it depends on whether there is sun. Yes, putting batteries can cushion that irregular supply (here Spain is a powerhouse), but a research team from the University of Seville with the CSIC has given a twist to classic photovoltaic panels and now can generate electricity with rain. Context. Solar panels lose effectiveness when full sun does not fall on them, either because there are clouds or it rains. Therefore, the ideal scenario is midday on a sunny day, but spoiler: this happens less times than you need to plug something in. Not to mention devices that need continuous and autonomous energy supply, no matter what happens in the electrical grid. The battery option allows us to satisfy the supply on demand and although now They are at their minimum pricestill involves purchasing another component, considering its useful life and its management as waste. The invention. As explains the CSIChave developed a hybrid device that allows capturing energy from both the sun and rain, and also doing so at the same time. As? With a sheet thinner than a human hair (100 nanometers) superimposed on the solar cells. It works on two fronts at the same time: on the one hand as a protective encapsulant for perovskite solar cells, improving their durability in adverse conditions. On the other hand, as a triboelectric nanogenerator: it converts the impact of raindrops into electricity due to friction. Thus, it is capable of producing up to 110 volts, enough to light LEDs or power sensors. Why is it important. Because if this technology is commercialized, it will open the doors for completely autonomous electronic devices to function without batteries or plugs. This is the case of the implementation of IoT outdoors or in remote areas without access to the electrical grid. It serves as an example of use in applications in rural infrastructure or agriculture, such as environmental sensors, weather stations, urban signage or auxiliary lighting. The innovation is not only generating energy from rain, but integrating it all into a single thin layer that solves the main Achilles heel of perovskite: its environmental degradation. In fact, science had already proven with taurine from octopuses. How have they done it. To carry out this device, they used plasma technology to deposit plasma technology in a similar way to that implemented in mobile screens. For the base, perovskite cells, a material with better efficiency and lower cost than traditional silicon, but fragile under conditions such as humidity. The use of triboelectric materials is not new: a research team from the University of Hong Kong a few years ago something similar occurred to him: the generation of electricity by the simple friction of droplets upon impact, such as static electricity generated by rubbing a balloon. Yes, but. Although technically speaking they have generated electricity, the reality is that it is high voltage but low intensity, which in practice is not even useful for charging a mobile phone. And although the perovskite is reinforced with this sheet, in the long term it is still less durable than silicon, so it still has pending issues. Likewise, there remains the great challenge of leaving the laboratory and validating these experiments in real environments. If production can be scaled to an industrial level, another challenge would arise: keeping costs low. In Xataka | Europe produces more clean electricity than fossil electricity for the first time. The hard part starts now In Xataka | Solar panels have an invisible and very brief moment in which they do not work. And solving it is key to your future Cover | Lara John

Long-term forecasts return rain to Spain

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Although we have had storms and surprises in the last couple of weeks, the truth is that we have enjoyed a certain meteorological stability that has given a break to the very saturated soils, rivers and swamps of the peninsular geography. The reason is simple (the NAO positive), the bad news is also simple: there is a turnaround brewing in Scandinavia. And, as a side effect, our chances of receiving a train of storms from the west again have risen significantly. But, first of all, let’s explain what the NAO is. The ‘NAO’ is the ‘North Atlantic Oscillation‘: I usually describe it as the ‘dance’ between the Azores high and the Icelandic low. That is, between the two major atmospheric phenomena that govern the meteorology of the North Atlantic. When the index we use to “measure who is winning” is negative, the Azores anticyclone is weaker than normal and, therefore, is unable to block the deep storms that hover over the Atlantic. The direct consequence is that they circulate further south than normal: right at our latitude. What happened at the end of February and what will happen at the start of March is the opposite: positive NAO. That is, the Azores anticyclone is strong and that sends the jet further north. Something that gives us stability, fewer fronts and (usually, although not necessarily) colder. But there are signs that this is beginning to change. It is important to remember that we are talking about long-term predictions and there are still many days ahead, but the pattern seems to be gaining consistency: during the first half of March, an anticyclonic block will develop over the skies of the Scandinavian peninsula. That, presumably, can undulate the jet and encourage more rain in the Mediterranean. That is, at least, Sergio Escama’s prediction. And the truth is that it is compatible with the weekly prediction that AEMET published a few days ago. Why is it important? Above all, for two reasons: the first is that the scenarios that are compatible with these schemes can give rise to a lot of rain on the Mediterranean façade. That is, because torrential rains are on the table. And the second issue is that we must not forget that Spain it is up to the top of water. “More rain” will be synonymous with “management problems” for weeks. So here we are, looking obsessively at the Nordic countries to see what the Atlantic will send us. Image | ECMWF In Xataka | Andalusia anticipates the storm and has already canceled in-person classes and activated the UME. The doubt is placed on the workers

Science knows that rain is ruining our health

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We carry a great spell of rain and overcast skies in much of Spain, and this also translates into a strange sensation in our body when we feel stuck in the chair, depressed and even taciturn. And it’s not that we’ve suddenly become lazier or sadderbut it is pure and simple biology that has humidity, microbiology and brain chemistry as triggers. Our ideal humidity. To understand why we can feel so bad, we have to understand what our body needs. Here science already pointed out many years ago that our body is designed to ‘function’ in a narrow range in terms of relative humidity.: between 40 and 60%. In this case, when we are outside this range for a long time, which is typical with these rains where the humidity shoots above 70%, it is when everything changes. And above all it affects those people who are not used to so much humidity and who have not adapted to it, such as those who live in areas that are traditionally very dry. What happens. In these cases, when we are in a situation of very high humidity, science suggests that the defenses let their guard down. Above all, it affects the mucous membranes, which are our body’s first defense barrier, which is compromised. In this case, while very dry air can crack the mucous membranes that require a certain humidity, when you have air with a lot of accumulated humidity, a ‘party’ is organized for the pathogens. The scientific reviews point here that excessive humidity favors the survival of bacteria and viruses, increasing the environmental viral load. The effects at home. If we suddenly feel short of breath or that the asthma that had been controlled has returned, the fault lies precisely in what we do not see. The WHO itself and the CDC have established direct links, since they suggest that structural and environmental humidity turns the house into an incubator. The attack of mold and mites. One of the most important points is in the miteswhich are microscopic organisms that do not drink water, but rather absorb moisture from the air. In cases where humidity exceeds 70%, their population explodes and, according to evidence, this can trigger allergic exacerbations in those more sensitive people. Mold is also one of the main protagonists in these cases, and you just have to see how easily it can appear in bathrooms without ventilation. And even if black spots are not seen, the spores can be in the rooms of the house. The science here is clear: exposure to moisture and mold in the home increases the risk of developing asthma by 30-50%. The effect on the brain. But what we notice most every day is that feeling of being “moody” or “stuck.” And here the person responsible is the lack of light due to being cloudy all day. The neurochemistry here is quite important, since without bright light to tell your brain “it’s daytime”, your body continues to produce melatonin, which is the sleep hormone, during the day. The result here is in fatigue throughout the day and apathy that makes us not want to leave the couch. There are also deficits. But in addition to melatonin, the lack of sunlight in those areas where it is not usual produces a decrease in the production of serotonin, which is one of the neurotransmitters responsible for mood. Less light equals less “fuel” to feel good. AND We must not forget about vitamin D either.which depends on sunlight to maintain optimal levels. Although supplementation has mixed results, observational studies are clear: there is a direct correlation between rainy months, low vitamin D and irritability or depressive symptomsknown as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What can we do? Although it may seem counterintuitive, the European Lung Foundation point because you always have to ventilate the house a little even if it is raining. The accumulation of internal humidity from our own activities such as cooking, breathing or showering, added to the external humidity, creates a toxic environment. That is why maintaining air circulation and, if possible, using dehumidifiers to try to return your home to that sacred 40-60% range, is the only way to mitigate the impact on some part. Images | Adrian Swancar In Xataka | We say we are “depressed” beyond our means: where does the illness end and where does the illness begin?

Meteorologists expected 80 mm of rain in Grazalema, which was already a lot. They are already going for 180 mm

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This Wednesday the storm Leonardo is showing all its strength in a good part of Andalusia, something that has forced to cancel classes or even to mobilize the UME due to the possible floods that may occur. One of the focuses of this storm is set in the Sierra de Grazalema in Cádizone of the places where it rains the most in Spain. The point here is that a large number of liters per square meter was expected to fall, but reality has surpassed everything previously calculated. The data. As collected the user in X @Vigorrothe discrepancy between what the model “saw” and what has fallen from the sky is massive: from a forecast of 60 to 80 mm accumulated at 7 in the morning, has moved to a reality of 180 liters per square meter. And this makes us have many questions in our heads… How is it possible that in the era of Big Data and high-resolution models, we fail by more than double in such a short-term prediction? The answer is in the orography. Harmonie’s failure. The technological protagonist here is in Harmonie-AROMEthe mesoscale model used by the AEMET to predict local phenomena. Unlike global models such as the European IFS, Hamonie is designed to see detail down to resolutions of a few kilometers to calculate, for example, how many liters will fall in a specific location. However, today it failed in the Sierra de Grazalema with the differences that we have seen before. And although the AEMET reacted activating the red warningwith an extreme risk of receiving up to 200 liters in one day, the real-time evolution during the early morning hours was much more explosive than the model output indicated. And the worst thing is that there is still a day ahead. A “wall”. To understand why the software falls short, you have to look at the mountain, and the Sierra de Grazalema acts as a formidable physical barrier against the humid winds of the Atlantic. In this way, when these storms hit the mountains, the air is forced to rise abruptly, cooling and condensing all its moisture in a very small space and gives what is known as orographic enhancement. In this peculiar storm, two factors have come together that have undoubtedly magnified it. On the one hand, we have had an atmospheric river which acts as gasoline for the clouds, intensifying precipitation much more than models anticipate, especially when they collide with a mountain. It fails on the scale. On the other hand, we also have the limitations of the numerical models that we use on a daily basis such as collected in the Stormchaser forum. Here they point out that these models continue to have problems resolving short-duration, high-intensity events in complex orographic areas. And they are good at saying that it is going to rain a lot, but they fail when we talk about the magnitude of a specific flood. It rains in the wet. The problem of this underestimation is not only meteorological, but also hydrological since this torrential rain falls on terrain that no longer supports even one more drop. The context in this case is critical, since the month of January already broke historical records in this area with accumulated amounts of around 1,300 liters per square meter. That is why the soil, which is composed mainly of clays is completely saturated, which means that the infiltration rate is zero, causing everything that falls to immediately run into the bed of the Guadalete River and others. Images | Freysteinn G. Jonsson In Xataka | Spain is preparing for a “festival” of storms in February: with more rain than normal and hardly any cold

December is the key month for rain in half of Spain: if we miss it, we will go back to square one

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For months, one of the favorite activities of half of Spain was entering embalses.net and see how the country’s water reserves were. If we did, the most common reaction could only be described with one word: tranquility. The water impounded on December 1 was 54.02%. That is 3% more than the same week last year and, mind you, almost 10% above the average of the last 10 years. Everything seems in order, but the story is always more complicated than it seems. Because, while these data seem to improve, more and more towns declare their tap water ‘non-drinkable’‘. That is to say, despite everything, we cannot lose December. A key month for water in Spain. Meteorologist César Rodríguez Ballesteros said it a few days ago“climatologically, December is one of the rainiest months of the year in Spain. Of the 2621 stations on the map, it is the rainiest at 1075, the 2nd rainiest at 385 and the 3rd at 236.” It is true that it does not rain the same way or at the same time throughout the country. It is obvious, but it is good to keep it in mind: the eastern peninsula — DANAs territory — the most important months it’s september and, above all, October. In the heart of the Ebro and Duero Valley, the key month it’s may. And, curiously, in the Cerdanya area, the rainiest month it’s august. However, I insist, by extension (almost half of the country) and location (the parts of Spain with the greatest storage capacity), December is a key month. Above all, after a very dry october and a barely normal November. In Xataka Catalonia has prohibited filling swimming pools due to the drought. For your hotels the solution is easy: buy water in France And, a priori, we have good news. As we explained a few weeks agothe start of December 2025 in Spain would be marked by a very active Atlantic circulation thanks to a significant “negative NAO”. The ‘NAO’ is the ‘North Atlantic Oscillation‘ is what meteorologists call the eternal “give and take” maintained by the Azores anticyclone and the Icelandic low, the two major atmospheric phenomena that govern the meteorology of the North Atlantic. When the index we use to “measure who is winning” is negative, the Azores anticyclone is weaker than normal and, for this reason, it cannot block deep Atlantic storms. The direct consequence is that they circulate further south than normal: right at our latitude. {“videoId”:”x8npqne”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”DROUGHT What if we can’t reverse it?”, “tag”:”Webedia-prod”, “duration”:”262″} A mattress that can disappear at any time. Looking at the data, even in the most optimistic analysis it is clear that we are coming from very dry and irregular autumns: our water system is affected and the water cushion can evaporate very quickly in spring. To do? As experts often repeat“the (next) droughts are managed with full reservoirs.” Now, even provisionally, they are. It’s time to prepare for summer. However, everything seems to indicate that we will not do so. And, in that at least, yes we have experience. Image | Copernicus In Xataka |In the middle of one of the most extreme droughts in living memory, Catalonia has had an idea: start cutting down trees (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news December is the key month for rain in half of Spain: if we miss it, we will go back to square one was originally published in Xataka by Javier Jimenez .

When the sky throws lightning, but the rain never reaches the ground

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These are not your feelings: this summer’s storms have been more brutal and destructive than ever. AND AEMET data says so. But to understand it well, we have to go one step further: we have to understand what is perhaps one of the key elements of the current enormous problem, dry storms. What are dry storms Luis Marina a storm It is, in essence, a crash, an impact, a violent ‘argument’ between two air masses with different temperatures and pressures. The warm, humid air rises quickly and this generates atmospheric disturbances accompanied by electrical discharges (lightning and thunder), strong winds and precipitation of rain, snow or hail. However, sometimes, even though the storm does contain moisture in the upper levels of the atmosphere, it’s not raining. There are lightning bolts, there are angry winds, there are clouds of great vertical development; but there is no precipitation that reaches the ground. We call that dry storm. Characteristics of dry storms As we said, the main characteristic of this type of storm is electrical activity (lightning and thunder) without significant precipitation on the surface. However, explaining the process and its characteristics is a little more complicated: It’s not that it doesn’t rain, it’s that the precipitation evaporates before hitting the ground. This occurs because these droplets pass through a layer of very warm and dry air. It is what is known, in technical terms, ‘virga’. For obvious reasons, it usually forms in arid, desert environments or during extreme heat waves. If the air in contact with the ground is exceptionally dry, the probability of evaporation in the fall increases. None of this has to do with its electrical activity, which is a lot. If these types of storms attract attention for something, it is the amount of thunder and lightning that develop. And if they are worrying for anything, it is because of the downward gusts of wind (caused by this rain evaporation process) that very dangerously increase the risk of fires. How a dry storm forms In reality, there is nothing strange about dry storms. They are, for all intents and purposes, normal storms. The “strange” thing is what happens on the ground: high temperatures and low humidity that favor the evaporation of rain. This simplifies things because the process is identical to that of any conventional thunderstorm: unstable air, sufficient humidity at high and mid levels, and a rising mechanism (intense heat, in this case). Everything else, including precipitation generation, is very similar. Relationship between dry storms and fires Max Larochelle Let’s not beat around the bush: the relationship between dry storms and wildfires is direct and dangerous. In fact, these types of storms are one of the main causes (unintentional) of fires. What’s more, due to the meteorological conditions that characterize them (dryness, heat, etc…), these types of events also facilitate the rapid spread of fire. You don’t have to be very imaginative: electrical activity without precipitation, low humidity, very high temperatures and strong (and gusty) winds are the perfect recipe for a macrofire. How to detect a dry storm A dry storm can be sensed by the presence of electrical activity without significant rain on land. But, as with almost everything in meteorology, to have an overview you need lightning detectors, weather radars (especially Doppler) and satellites. Consequences of dry storms David Moum The main consequences of this type of storm are also the most dangerous: fires. Its structural characteristics entail a high risk of forest fire (the combination of intense electrical activity and lack of rain) and, if that were not enough, promote the rapid spread of fire. Not in vain, the atmospheric conditions associated with dry storms (high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong gusts of wind) create a favorable environment for an incipient fire to spread at high speed and become uncontrollable. The main consequence of dry storms is, in short, to verify again and again that we do not have enough capacity for stop today’s fires. Image | NICOLA In Xataka | What are sixth generation fires: the megafires that create their own weather

A Chinese laboratory has managed to generate electricity directly from rain, without occupying land or using metal

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Until now, the electricity from a storm came only from lightning. A Chinese team has just added another protagonist: a device that converts raindrops into usable energy. The invention comes from the Frontier Science Institute of the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) and will open a new avenue for renewable energies. Its technical name is Water-integrated Droplet Electricity Generator, or simply W-DEG. The discovery. What differentiates this generator from the rest is not its power, but its logic. According to the published article in National Science Reviewthe device floats on water and uses that same water as part of the electrical circuit. It requires no metals or heavy structures, and yet each drop of rain can release spikes of up to 250 volts. Light, cheap and efficient: a small hydrovoltaic revolution. Rain as a source of clean energy. The physical principle behind W-DEG combines two known phenomena: contact electrification and electrostatic induction. When a droplet impacts a floating dielectric film, electrical charges are instantly redistributed between the surface of the material and the water, generating an electrical pulse. Water acts at the same time as a lower electrode and structural support, thanks to its high surface tension and incompressibility: it is firm enough to withstand the impact of drops, but fluid enough to stabilize the system. To prevent pooled water from blocking new discharges, the researchers added micro-drainage holes that allow liquid to flow downward, but not upward. This design keeps the surface clean even during heavy rain and prevents loss of efficiency. A small prototype. The Nanjing team built a 0.3 square meter prototype. Floating on water, the device was able to illuminate 50 LED diodes simultaneously and charge capacitors in a matter of minutes. Its modular design allows it to be easily expanded to power environmental sensors, water quality monitoring systems or small electrical equipment in rainy areas. Furthermore, the W-DEG is a “soilless” system: it does not occupy agricultural or urban land and can be installed on bodies of water without heavy infrastructure. This makes it an ideal candidate for regions where rain is abundant and space is scarce, or where other renewable sources – such as solar or wind – are less constant. The rise of floating energies. The new Chinese generator arrives at a time when floating energy is experiencing a global boom. Floating solar panels are being installed on ponds and reservoirs around the world, from India until the swiss alpsto produce electricity and reduce water evaporation. However, a study from Cornell University revealed an unexpected effect: in small ponds, these installations can increase methane and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 27%, by altering the balance of aquatic ecosystems. Faced with this challenge, the W-DEG emerges as a more environmentally friendly alternative. By not covering the entire surface of the water or blocking sunlight, it allows energy to be generated without altering aquatic life or natural gas exchange. Will storms generate light? The technology is still in the experimental phase. The NUAA team itself recognizes that it will have to optimize the device’s response to droplets of different sizes and speeds, something essential for real conditions. But the potential is undeniable: a lightweight, economical and durable generator, capable of obtaining energy directly from the natural water cycle, without occupying land or generating waste. Researchers imagine swarms of these devices floating in lakes or reservoirs, charging environmental sensors or powering local microgrids during rain. If every storm could turn on a light or power a system, gray days would no longer be synonymous with a blackout. With inventions like this, the border between water and energy blurs, and nature begins—literally—to generate its own electricity. Image | Unsplash Xataka | China has launched its first floating solar park in the sea: panels that rise and fall with the tide

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