The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is one of the driest countries in the world, receiving only about four inches of rain a year. But that could change: Scientists at the University of Reading in England have found a way to create rainstorms with drones that zap the clouds with electricity. The electric charge makes small droplets of water stick together, forming heavier drops that fall to the ground instead of evaporating. Using drones for “cloud seeding”—done previously with chemicals shot from the ground or dispersed from airplanes—got its first test this summer in the city of Dubai, where temperatures sometimes top 125 degrees and the demand for water is high. Some critics remain skeptical that manipulating the weather will make much difference, but the government has invested $15 million in projects to increase precipitation. That gives many people hope. Says Mansoor Abulhoul, ambassador of the U.A.E. to the United Kingdom: “It’s moving to think that the rainfall technology . . . may someday support countries in water-scarce environments like the U.A.E.”