“Make it rain” is slang for throwing money into the air to demonstrate one’s unrestrained wealth.

On a related note, it appears the UAE (United Arab Emirates) will be “making it rain” by throwing a few of their endless money piles into the air in order to literally make it rain.

“The scientific reasoning behind the scheme is that an artificial mountain forces air to rise, cool, condense and form clouds, resulting in rainfall. The process is known as cloud-seeding, but can sometimes have undesirable outcomes. In March, cloud-seeding caused havoc in the region when over 11 inches of rainfall poured down in under 24 hours.”
–Elisabeth Perlman, Newsweek

The details are not rock solid yet, but the UAE’s proposed use of capital for designing and building a mountain should surprise exactly nobody. Dubai (well, new Dubai) is a builder’s paradise with ultra-modern and jaw-dropping skyscrapers, malls, hotels and islands. No idea is too crazy nor too expensive, at least thus far. Motivated by the movie adage, “build it and they will come,” the UAE has apparently modified its branding to the world beyond attracting tourists and residents by envisioning a potentially groundbreaking artificial simulation of Mother Nature herself.

Having visited the UAE and seeing and experiencing the outrageous projects they were undertaking in person, which included chilling in the sky bar at 5-star Burj Al Arab hotel, standing in snow in the indoor ski slope at Ski Dubai, looking down at the Palm in its early stages from the top of a skyscraper and eating the best buffet ever at the luxurious Emirates Palace, there is no doubting their capabilities.

Constructing a customized mountain with special powers like a kid playing with LEGO’s?

Sounds about right for the UAE.

However, is attempting to manipulate natural weather patterns a good idea?

Money can buy, solve and influence many things, but actively injecting oneself into the ambiguities of the weather and nature can increase the risks of unpredictable and, therefore, uncontrollable problems arising.

Remember Jurassic Park?

You may say that re-engineering dinosaurs will never happen. And it probably won’t. But there’s an indoor ski slope in one of the hottest places on the planet. Who would’ve believed that?

There was a lot of rain in Jurassic Park, if you recall.

Just saying that when it rains, it pours with a bite.