An overview of the Mendoza hail suppression program 2000

The Province of Mendoza in western Argentina is one of the most hail prone areas of the world. Losses to agriculture due to hail are typically >10% of total agricultural production. Hail suppression programs using the Russian rocket technology have been conducted in the region since 1985. A new airborne seeding project was implemented in 1998-99 by Weather Modification Inc. for the Ministry of Economy, Government of Mendoza. This paper will present an overview of the program including the conceptual model, seeding methodology, atmospheric characteristics, and operational summaries of the first two years of operations. Preliminary analyses of the radar data and microphysical observations from a specially instrumented Lear Jet will be presented. A research and evaluation program is planned to determine the impact of the seeding on the hail.