Beijing sees rain despite cloud seeding efforts

After hot and sunny weather welcomed athletes to the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing, rain showers and cooler weather capped the first weekend of the world's biggest sporting event. The rain is expected to relieve the suffocating air pollution that has been a major concern for Olympic organizers, visitors and international observers of the competition.

Beijing, situated at the base of a ringed mountain valley, has long suffered from high levels of air pollution from heavy industrial and automotive use. The pollution forced the Chinese government to implement large-scale regulations aimed at mitigating car and industry use, but meteorologists have long said the only way to entirely clear the air from pollutants is via wind and rain.

Rain fell most of Sunday and is expected to continue through Monday, Chinese forecasters said.

The Chinese government has spent billions of dollars in trying to make these Olympics, China's first and long-awaited international stage, the "Green Games". However, pollution remains higher than most international regulations and pollution readings measured before Sunday's rainfall confirmed the government's impact has had little effect on air quality.

Chinese efforts to manipulate the weather were closely observed during the opening ceremony on Friday as meteorologists launched over a thousand rockets containing silver iodide, a chemical aimed at preemptively releasing precipitation. Rain did not fall during the ceremony though areas west and south of the Chinese capital recorded rainfall. Chinese meteorologists claimed the ploy was successful and responsible for the dry ceremony, though most scientists remain very skeptical.