Burgundy installs hail chemical hailstone shield

Burgundy has installed a fleet of 125 generators that expel silver iodide into the atmosphere. The silver iodide is thought to protect the crops against hail. Hail can be a serious threat to Burgundy, with large regular losses in the region.

The generator consists of a cylinder of compressed air, a tank and a combustion chamber surrounded by a cylinder. It has been designed to vaporize billions of molecules of the solution. When fired into the air, it is thought the solution will help reduce the size of the hailstones. It does not stop the hailstones, but does reduce the damage by around 50%. The silver iodide, is thought to be safe to humans according to Thiébault Huber, president of ARELFA (Association Régionale d’Etude et de Lutte contre les Fléaux Atmosphériques en Bourgogne) an organisation looking at the atmosphere around Burgundy.