Articles | Volume 26, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1287-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1287-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
11 Mar 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 11 Mar 2026
| 11 Mar 2026
Numerical experiments of cloud seeding for mitigating localization of heavy rainfall: a case study of Mesoscale Convective System in Japan
Yusuke Hiraga
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Jacqueline Muthoni Mbugua
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Shunji Kotsuki
Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Institute for Advanced Academic Research, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Yoshiharu Suzuki
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan
Shu-Hua Chen
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Atsushi Hamada
Faculty of Sustainable Design, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Kazuaki Yasunaga
Faculty of Sustainable Design, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
Takuya Funatomi
Academic Center for Computing and Media Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Editorial statement
The study investigates the potential of cloud seeding to mitigate extreme rainfall localization associated with mesoscale convective systems. Using a numerical weather prediction model, numerical cloud
seeding experiments were conducted artificially increasing ice nuclei concentrations in a double-moment microphysics scheme for the heavy
rainfall event. For a disastrous event that occurred in Japan in 2014, the authors show that idealized overseeding can suppress peak rainfall in high risk areas while producing an accompanying rainfall increase downwind. Estimates of the required amount of seeding substances in practical applications are provided.
The study investigates the potential of cloud seeding to mitigate extreme rainfall localization...
Short summary
Can disasters caused by extreme rainfall be mitigated through human intervention? Using numerical simulations reproducing a devastating rainfall event, we show that injecting large amounts of ice nuclei into convective clouds can trigger an “overseeding” effect that suppresses raindrop growth. This process disperses intense rainfall downstream and reduces peak 3-hour rainfall by up to 32 %, highlighting the potential of cloud seeding as a new strategy for mitigating heavy rainfall disasters.
Can disasters caused by extreme rainfall be mitigated through human intervention? Using...
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