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Meteorology: Taming the sky

from Nature News

China wants everything to be under control at the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games on 8 August - even the weather. The chance of rain that day is 47 percent, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau. ...

The iconic 91,000-seat main stadium, nicknamed the 'bird's nest' because of its interlacing steel beams, has no roof. So Chinese meteorologists will use weather-modification technologies to try to stop rain from spoiling the party.

Beijing's plan for the games is the most conspicuous example of the country's massive weather-modification efforts. Most of the time, the focus is not on keeping things dry, but on making it rain in places that desperately need the water.