From chemtrails to clairvoyants: These are the biggest weather myths of the 21st century

Meteorology experts dispel the hoaxes and conspiracy theories surrounding weather forecasting in Spain

Despite the fact that meteorology is a discipline based solely on scientific principles and that weather forecasting is a complex process, conspiracy theories and hoaxes abound, spread more rapidly and widely in recent years thanks to the prevalence of social media. Among the most popular of the last few decades is the belief that governments can somehow control the climate using ‘anti-rain planes’ and by producing ‘chemtrails’.

Here in Spain, the method of weather forecasting known as cabañuelas has taken flight, thanks in no small part to a teenage amateur meteorologist who accurately predicted the devastating Storm Filomena.

While these theories can certainly be entertaining, physicist and meteorology expert José Miguel Viñas has warned of the dangers of granting credibility to these hoaxes, which usually emerge for much darker reasons.

1. The cabañuelas

This ancient method of weather forecasting supposedly has its origins with shepherds, who would examine the climate during the month of August to predict the next 12 months. It’s a complex process that considers the movement of the tides and the behaviour of animals, among many other factors.

Viñas has no faith in such methods, insisting that “storms or high-impact meteorological situations cannot be predicted in the long term, neither with meteorological models nor with popular meteorology methods, due to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere.”

2. Chemtrails

This one has been gaining popularity with conspiracy theorists who are convinced that governments are secretly spraying chemicals from the sky for reasons that range from sterilisation and mind control to reducing life expectancy and altering the weather.

According to the expert, the theory of chemtrails or chemical trails “was born with the aim of sowing fear among the population,” and no evidence exits to support it.

While lines can often been seen skirting across the skies, the simple explanation for which can be found in the changing of water vapour into tiny ice crystals due to the humidity and temperature conditions that are generated when a plane passes through certain areas.

3. Anti-rain planes

This hoax has been doing the rounds for at least 40 years, when a farmer in south-east Spain claimed that he observed a light aircraft seamlessly dispersing the clouds overhead, preventing them from spilling rain on his parched crops.

The idea that special planes can break up the clouds has spread over the years, particularly in drier areas prone to drought. However, Viñas explains that the reality is that the Atlantic fronts that reach places like the Region of Murcia or Almería are usually in a weakened state having passed through the rest of the country, breaking up as they go, and so these communities experience less rain.

This conspiracy theory has gained momentum because the authorities actually do regularly resort to cloud seeding to alter the amount or type of precipitation that falls in certain areas. Nevertheless, even though several countries, such as China, claim to have conquered the method of artificially controlling the weather from the sky, the evidence points to the contrary, since much of the world is living through one of the worst droughts in history.

Image: Pixabay

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