Did Microwave Pulses Create Haiyan? Myth Debunked

A video saying super typhoon Haiyan was created by microwave pulses went viral on the Internet. Intentional manipulation and modification of weather is not really new in human history. There are conditions necessary for typhoon formation and controlling typhoons can only be done by changing any of these conditions.

Basic science proves that clouds are made up of small water particles and it takes around a million of cloud water droplets to form a single raindrop. Clouds form in the sky with rising humid air and small particles called aerosols. To manipulate weather, clouds must be manipulated by doing something about the warm air or particles. Cloud seeding is the process of putting particles in clouds to modify cloud formation to suppress or produce rain.

There are many studies about microwaves and Earth's atmosphere. Microwaves can be used to send signals to ionosphere, where radio signals can be reflected. Microwaves are often used to observe other parts of the atmosphere because it can travel through it with not much resistance. It can pass through clouds and can be very useful in satellite observations, much like the facilities shown on the viral video.

The video seems to refer to studies of microwave pulses creating hot gases in lab settings. From the narrator's argument, the typhoon already developed when the microwave pulses were being transmitted. He also related the microwave pulses to earthquakes, which is not possible because earthquakes are formed only through accumulation of energy due to earth movements. There is also no reports on real world atmospheric experiments because it is very costly. Even if the parts of the cyclone temperature are changed and conditions are all met, it doesn't mean a cyclone will automatically form.

The Philippines rests in the path of tropical cyclones that form in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The right conditions were met by Haiyan and that intensified the monster typhoon. In fact, what science knows about the atmosphere are just approximations and estimations. Lack of knowledge is why weather forecast is not very accurate or predictable.

Air pollution affects the atmosphere, changing rainfall patterns. The continuous emission of greenhouse gases is the culprit to warmer surface temperature. Currently, mainstream science still has no cloud seeding way to effectively control the weather.