Roswell, New Mexico, experienced excessive and severe flash flooding on October 20th, causing widespread damage and sadly taking two lives. The recorded rainfall of 5.78 inches broke the previous record of 5.65 inches set in 1901 and quadrupled the area’s typical October precipitation, according to CNN.
Since such intense rainfall is an uncommon occurrence in the region, residents began speculating about the potential causes, leading some to reference “weather modification systems,” specifically the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), a research initiative of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks that studies global weather patterns.
Residents in Roswell, NM, were forced onto the roof of a convention center after record-breaking rainfall triggered severe flooding Saturday night. Over 5.78 inches of rain fell, shattering their all-time daily rain record from 1901. https://t.co/AeLboGjYoB pic.twitter.com/oKgDdvE6GZ
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 21, 2024
However, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Albuquerque attributed the historic flash flooding to a low-pressure weather system that stalled over the area instead of moving through quickly as expected. “The unusual amount of rain was produced by an upper-level cut-off low that lingered over Arizona and brought large amounts of moisture to New Mexico from the Gulf of Mexico,” explained meteorologist Jeff Berardelli.
HAARP has recently been at the center of numerous unfounded claims regarding climate change. The southeastern United States experienced two hurricanes late in the season this year, prompting many to incorrectly accuse the research program of manipulating the weather. There is no evidence that this occurred, nor is there any proof that they have the capability to do so.
HAARP’s focus revolves around phenomena that can affect electronics and communications equipment. In an email to Reuters, a HAARP spokesperson stated, they “cannot create, modify or manipulate weather.”
