Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIn the United States, NOAA collects reports about certain weather-modification activities, but it does not approve or regulate operations. Operators generally must report qualifying work before and after it takes place; state laws may separately require permits or licenses, or prohibit some activities. The federal database is public, but a February 2026 Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit found it incomplete and error-prone, so it should not be treated as a comprehensive monitoring system.
Does NOAA regulate cloud seeding?
No. The Weather Modification Reporting Act of 1972 and its implementing rule, 15 CFR Part 908, establish a federal reporting and recordkeeping system, not a general NOAA permit or operational approval process. NOAA says it is required to track weather-modification activities by others, including cloud seeding, but “has no authority to regulate those activities.”
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
NOAA receives reports, maintains records, and makes them publicly available to the fullest practicable extent under the statute. GAO describes NOAA as the only federal agency with a statutory requirement directed at weather modification. Whether an operation is allowed, and whether a state approval is required, is a separate question governed by applicable state law and conditions.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →What activities must be reported?
Part 908 reaches beyond conventional cloud seeding. It covers specified activities intended to change atmospheric conditions or weather, including:
#1 Best Overall
- COMPLETE WEATHER STATION: (1) Osprey Sensor Array with Rain Cup, and (1) Brilliant, Easy-to-Read LCD Color Display
- AUTHENTIC HYPER-LOCAL DATA: Monitor your actual home and backyard weather conditions with our wireless and Wi-Fi-enabled sensor array measuring wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, UV intensity, and solar radiation
- SMART HOME READY: Set up alerts, access your data remotely, and program your home based on weather conditions using IFTT, Google Home, Alexa, and more
- ENHANCED WIFI: Enables your station to transmit its data wirelessly to the world's largest personal weather station network (optional setting)
- JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Connect to Ambient Weather Network to customize your dashboard tiles, share hyperlocal weather conditions via social feeds and create your own forecasts (coming soon)
- Seeding or dispersing substances into clouds or fog to affect cloud development, precipitation, hail, or lightning.
- Using fires or other heat sources to influence convection or evaporate fog.
- Releasing gases, dusts, liquids, or aerosols to modify the exchange of solar radiation.
- Treating land or water surfaces, and certain electrical, acoustic, artificial-wind, or electromagnetic techniques.
The rule also describes limited exceptions, including certain specified frost-prevention activities reasonably expected not to change weather beyond the operating area, and religious activities or ceremonies intended to modify weather. All activities listed by the rule require an initial report, although NOAA may waive certain later reports in specified circumstances. The exact rule and facts of a particular activity determine whether it is covered.
How and when are reports filed?
For a covered operation, the reporting framework includes an initial report, interim reporting, and a final report. NOAA’s public explanation says the initial report is generally due at least 10 days before activity begins. The final report is generally due no more than 45 days after the activity ends.
Rank #2
- Allows you to monitor your home and backyard weather conditions with TFT color display
- Wireless all-in-one integrated sensor array measures wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, UV and solar radiation
- Supports both imperial and metric units of measure with calibration available
- Enhanced Wi-Fi connectability option that enables your station to transmit its data wirelessly to the world's largest personal weather station network
- Console power provided by 5V DC adapter (included), and sensor array requires 3 x AAA batteries (not included)
| Report stage | Timing | Information described by GAO |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | Generally at least 10 days before the operation begins | Planned dates, environmental and safety information, and maps |
| Interim | As required during the operation under the reporting framework | Reports include information such as substances used and days of activity |
| Final | Generally within 45 days after the operation ends | Reports include information such as substances used and days of activity |
These are operator-submitted records, not independent measurements of what occurred in the atmosphere. NOAA provides a searchable public database with downloadable reports. Filing a report is not the same as obtaining permission to operate, and a report in the database is not proof that an operation was independently verified.
How reliable is NOAA’s public database?
GAO’s report GAO-26-108013, published February 23, 2026, found substantial weaknesses in the records NOAA held. NOAA’s public database contained 1,084 files as of February 2025; GAO examined a representative sample of 111 files and found the database incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. GAO concluded that over half of reports likely contained errors, including missing required information. In four of 10 comparisons with state-reported activities, GAO identified activities that were absent from NOAA’s database. Those findings describe GAO’s audit; they are not an estimate of all activity that may have gone unreported.
Rank #3
- [Color LCD Screen Weather Station] Newentor temperature & humidity monitor with a large color LCD display shows essential home weather information at a glance: indoor/outdoor temperature & humidity, daily high/low records, customizable alerts, time/date, alarm clock & snooze, weather forecast, moon phase, and barometric pressure.
- [Two Power Modes & Adjustable Backlight] To enjoy a 24/7 continuous always-on vibrant display, simply connect this home weather station to a wall outlet using the included DC power adapter. When operating on battery power only (batteries not included), the digital thermometer automatically enters an eco-energy-saving mode, where the screen lights up for a quick 15-second glance before dimming. It is the perfect bedside or living room clock designed to fit your power preference.
- [3-channel Home Weather Stations Wireless Indoor Outdoor] Wireless temperature forecast station supports up to 3 remote sensors to monitor inside outside temperature & humidity of multiple locations. Package contains one remote sensor.
- [Wireless Forecast Station] The weather forecast station calculates the weather forecast for the next 12-24 hours, 7 to 10 days calibration ensures an accurate personal forecast for your location.
- [Wireless Weather Station with Atomic Time&Date] Atomic alarm clock weather station can be used not only as a wireless indoor outdoor thermometer but also as an atomic clock with dual alarms.
GAO also found that NOAA had not established written guidance for reviewing reports and maintaining the database. It said older forms and instructions were poorly suited to emerging solar-geoengineering work and could leave operators uncertain about describing target areas or reporting some material quantities. GAO recommended written review guidance, clearer instructions for different activity types, and regular direct outreach to operators and state and local officials. NOAA agreed with the recommendations; GAO marked them open when the report was published.
The public record has historical limitations as well. GAO reported in February 2026 that NOAA’s most recent summary of activities had been published in 1989, that some pre-digital records may have been lost, and that the earliest record then in the database dated to 1999. The same GAO report said nine states were spending or planning to spend at least $20 million combined on cloud seeding in 2024; this was a state-program spending figure, not a federal estimate of all weather-modification activity.
Rank #4
- Comprehensive Weather Information: One of the best weather stations, receive over 55 data points that allow you to monitor historical data, the heat index, dew point, feels like temperature, pressure trends with trend arrow, and more
- Real-Time Weather Conditions: Look no further for the perfect indoor and outdoor weather station! Wirelessly receive readings for indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity, wind speed/direction, barometric pressure, and rainfall directly to your home weather station
- Easiest Setup on the Market: Just install batteries, attach the wireless outdoor sensor to a pole or post using the included mounting bracket, and you’re ready to be the neighborhood weather expert
- Weather Clock: The indoor weather station display is a large, color LCD Display with the current time, date, and an adjustable dimmer, making it convenient to read and easily view indoor and outdoor data, time, and conditions
- Weather Forecast: The outdoor weather station collects elevation data and combines it with barometric pressure data from the indoor weather station to provide a personalized weather forecast 12 hours from your current conditions
What do states regulate?
State rules provide much of the operational approval framework, but requirements and legal definitions differ and can change. A GAO snapshot as of July 2025 found that 10 states had reported weather-modification activities, and all 10 had some approval process. GAO counted three states with enacted bans and 29 others with some form of proposed ban at that time. The proposals were not all equivalent: some addressed particular techniques or actors, and a proposed bill is not an operative prohibition.
| Example or count | Status and scope in the cited snapshot |
|---|---|
| 10 states | As of July 2025, states that had reported weather-modification activities to GAO; all had some approval process. |
| 3 state bans | Enacted bans counted by GAO as of July 2025. |
| 29 proposed bans | Some form of proposed ban counted by GAO as of July 2025; proposals varied in scope and were not all law. |
| Florida | EPA describes a law enacted in June 2025 covering conduct intended to affect temperature, weather, or sunlight within the state. |
| Tennessee | EPA describes a 2024 law as imposing a similar restriction. |
These dated examples are not a current, state-by-state legal determination. For a particular project, check the current statute and the relevant state regulator’s licensing, permit, and operating requirements. Verify whether a rule is enacted and effective, still proposed, limited to a specific technique, or subject to exceptions.
Best Value
- Real-Time Weather Conditions: Look no further for the perfect indoor and outdoor thermometer! Wirelessly receive readings for indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity, wind speed/direction, barometric pressure, and rainfall directly to your home weather station
- Weather Clock: The indoor weather station display is a large, color LCD Display with the current time, date, and an adjustable dimmer, making it convenient to read and easily view indoor and outdoor data, time, and conditions
- WiFi Weather Stations: Easily connect your indoor weather station display to Weather Underground for remote monitoring and to share your weather data with more than 250,000 personal weather stations across the globe
- Comprehensive Weather Information: One of the best weather stations, receive over 25 data points that allow you to set weather threshold alarms and track historical data, the heat index, dew point, wind chill, enhanced rainfall history, and more
- Multiple Thermometers & Weather Instruments: Wireless weather station with a built-in anemometer, wind vane, barometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, and thermometer to give you hyperlocal personalized data on your indoor weather station for home
Does the reporting rule cover solar geoengineering?
It can cover certain activities intended to modify the exchange of solar radiation: that category appears in Part 908, and GAO reported that NOAA’s legal counsel concluded solar geoengineering falls within the Act’s reporting scope. That does not mean the reporting system is designed to regulate or reliably track such work. GAO found NOAA’s existing forms and database do not handle solar-geoengineering activities well, and state laws may cover weather modification broadly or target solar geoengineering more narrowly.
Cloud seeding and solar geoengineering have different aims and scales. Cloud seeding generally seeks local precipitation enhancement or hail suppression, often using silver iodide. Solar geoengineering seeks regional or global changes to the amount of solar energy reaching Earth. An activity’s intended purpose and method matter when determining which reporting and state-law provisions may apply.
Ordinary aircraft contrails are not, by themselves, evidence of weather modification. EPA explains that contrails are condensation trails formed when aircraft exhaust interacts with cold air; their presence alone does not establish that an aircraft released material to modify weather.
Recommended Free Tools
What is known about cloud-seeding effects?
GAO’s December 2024 technology assessment found that studies it reviewed estimated additional precipitation ranging from 0 to 20 percent. That spread is a range of estimates across studies, not a guaranteed yield for a project or a universal effect size; GAO emphasized that the studies it reviewed had limitations that make effects difficult to evaluate.
On environmental and health effects, EPA’s summary of that 2024 GAO assessment says the limited research reviewed suggests silver iodide at current levels does not pose an environmental or health concern, while effects from more widespread use remain unknown. This is a qualified summary of limited evidence, not a blanket finding that every use or scale is risk-free.
Quick Recap
How to check a specific operation
- Identify the activity and purpose. Determine whether it involves cloud or fog seeding, another technique named in Part 908, or an activity outside the rule’s described scope. Do not infer modification from contrails alone.
- Check the federal reporting rule. Review current 15 CFR Part 908 for covered activities, exceptions, and applicable reporting duties. For a covered operation, distinguish the report deadlines from any state approval requirement.
- Check the state’s current law and regulator. Confirm whether a license, permit, or other approval is required, whether the activity is prohibited, and whether a cited measure is effective law rather than a proposal. Review any operation-specific conditions.
- Look for the NOAA record, but treat it as a record rather than proof of completeness. NOAA’s database can provide submitted reports, but GAO’s February 2026 audit found missing activities and report-quality problems. Absence from the database does not establish that no activity occurred.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
