AUSTIN, Texas — The CEO of a Texas-based weather modification company has denied allegations that his firm’s cloud seeding activities contributed to the deadly Fourth of July weekend floods that killed more than 100 people across the Hill Country.
Augustus Doricko, founder of Rainmaker Technology Corporation, confirmed that his company conducted a cloud seeding operation over the eastern part of south-central Texas on July 2. However, he said the company “did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods.”
The next day historic rains and flooding killed over 100 people, but the CEO denies allegations that the company’s operation the day before influenced that weather.
“The natural disaster in the Texan Hill Country is a tragedy. My prayers are with Texas,” Doricko said in a post shared July 6 on X, formerly Twitter. “Rainmaker will always be fully transparent.”
The statement came amid growing speculation on social media that Rainmaker’s activity was linked to the catastrophic flooding, which also left multiple people missing, including attendees of a local summer camp.
“We have a right to KNOW if cloud seeding had a role in #TexasFlooding. Also need to know why companies are allowed to manipulate weather without public consent??!! Countries like the UAE talk openly about cloud seeding. You’re called a “conspiracy theorist” if you talk about it,” said Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, wife of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Screenshots shared online, including what appeared to be a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) document, showed Rainmaker listed in connection with a weather modification program. Critics pointed to the July 2 operation, noting its proximity to the disaster.
Independent meteorologists and fact-checking sources, including Snopes, claimed that cloud seeding was not responsible for the intense storm systems that hit the region. Meteorological data confirmed that the floods were driven by large-scale atmospheric conditions unrelated to artificial weather modification.
Despite denials and expert analysis, public pressure has mounted on the company and its 25-year-old founder, who is also a Thiel Fellow, to further clarify Rainmaker’s operations and impact.
