02/01/2026
https://youtube.com/shorts/LKCE3b0vzd0?si=f03KojyBWoB8M1fy
Did you know that back in the 1960s, scientists seriously tried to weaken hurricanes by sprinkling clouds with silver iodide? Yep — real-life science experiment, not sci-fi.
The thinking was based on cloud physics: silver iodide has a crystal structure similar to ice, so researchers believed it could trigger extra freezing and rainfall inside storm clouds. Their hope was that this would shift energy away from the hurricane’s core, spread the storm out, and ultimately lower wind speeds. This was part of Project Stormfury.
On paper, it sounded clever. In reality? Hurricanes already contain massive amounts of natural ice particles, so the added silver iodide didn’t reliably change much. Some storms showed brief weakening, but later scientists realized hurricanes do that on their own. Translation: Mother Nature was not impressed.
Still, it’s one of the most fascinating chapters in weather history — humans literally tried to calm a hurricane with a chemical “snow sprinkle.” While the results were mixed and the project was eventually abandoned, it opened the door to decades of research on weather modification and storm dynamics.
Basically: we tried to negotiate with hurricanes using science glitter. They declined.
If you enjoy weird science history like this, I share more over on YouTube as Nurse Chuckles — feel free to follow if that’s your vibe.
What do you think: should humans even try to control extreme weather?
