Drone cloud-seeding startup proposes winter flights over Wasatch Back

A startup wants to fly silver iodide-equipped drones into winter clouds over the Wasatch Back this season.

Alto Cirra, co-founded by Andrew Verda and Ethan Friedman, proposes drone-based cloud-seeding operations in Summit, Wasatch and Cache counties from Nov. 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027.

The company published a public notice of its plans, as TownLift first reported. The operations require authorization from the Utah Division of Water Resources.

The proposed start date has passed, but approval of Alto Cirra's application and the start of flights have not been publicly confirmed.

How it works

Cloud seeding does not create clouds or produce snow from clear skies. The technique encourages additional precipitation from clouds that already have suitable atmospheric conditions, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources.

Alto Cirra's proposed drones would carry silver iodide flares into suitable clouds. Silver iodide acts as an ice-nucleating agent, helping ice crystals form in clouds containing supercooled liquid water. Those crystals can grow and eventually fall as snow.

The company says its aircraft can be directed using weather forecasts and atmospheric measurements, allowing operators to target specific portions of a storm.

Alto Cirra is also developing the ability to collect weather data during flights.

The founders described the technology as a way to make cloud seeding more targeted and potentially more cost-effective than existing approaches, according to TownLift.

Those benefits have not yet been demonstrated for Alto Cirra's proposed operations.

The company also acknowledges on its technology website that drone flights face limitations from icing, wind, aircraft endurance and aviation regulations.

Flights into clouds or beyond an operator's visual line of sight require appropriate Federal Aviation Administration authorization.

Woodward Park City weighs in

Woodward Park City Chief Operating Officer Gar Traynar said the organization is considering participating in a study focused on measuring cloud-seeding effectiveness, according to TownLift.

Traynar said Woodward's interest is in supporting research that can advance understanding of the technology, regardless of the outcome.

Verda told TownLift that Alto Cirra has discussed potential work with other ski-industry operators. The status of those discussions has not been independently established.

No confirmed Woodward Park City partnership or operational agreement was identified in the available information.

State program and competing efforts

Utah has used cloud seeding since the early 1950s to augment water supplies, according to the Division of Water Resources.

The state's ground-based cloud-seeding program is now remotely operated. The agency describes its generator network as the largest remotely operated system of its kind in the United States.

Utah is also exploring drone-based cloud seeding, following experiments with conventional aircraft between 2022 and 2025.

Drones offer the potential for more precise targeting by flying directly into suitable clouds and releasing seeding material at temperatures favorable for ice formation.

The state also works with Rainmaker Technology Corporation on cloud-seeding operations.

Snowbird Resort is Rainmaker's first ski-area partnership, according to SKI Magazine. Rainmaker CEO Augustus Doricko told the publication that the company was discussing potential work with other resorts.

Alto Cirra's proposal is separate from the state's existing cloud-seeding operations.

Skepticism and open questions

Cloud seeding depends on the availability of clouds containing sufficient moisture and suitable temperatures.

Bart Geerts, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Wyoming, told SKI Magazine that the Intermountain West has fewer opportunities for cloud seeding than some other regions because suitable supercooled clouds occur less frequently.

Utah's Division of Water Resources says statistical analyses have estimated average precipitation increases of 5% to 15% in seeded areas.

That range describes findings from cloud-seeding programs generally. It does not establish how much additional snowfall Alto Cirra's drones might produce in Summit County.

The agency also identifies measuring cloud-seeding effectiveness as a major scientific challenge.

Alto Cirra has discussed working with university researchers and using radar to detect changes in precipitation, according to TownLift. Details of those proposed collaborations and independent evaluation methods remain unresolved.

Utah's separate SNOWSCAPE 2026 research program is designed to collect detailed atmospheric and snowpack measurements during seeded and unseeded storms.

The Division of Water Resources is conducting that project with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the University of Utah and Utah State University.

The state is also launching research into trace concentrations of silver in water, soil and sediments to assess potential environmental effects under Utah conditions.

For Alto Cirra, the immediate question remains whether the company has received the state and aviation authorizations needed to begin its proposed winter operations.

Its announced operating window extends through April 30, 2027.