The Ministry of Finance has allocated 199 million yuan (29.8 million U.S. dollars) to support weather modification operations by local authorities.

The move aims to minimize the impact of meteorological disasters on economic and social life, the ministry said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

The money will be used to relieve drought, bring about artificial rain and prevent hailstones by using aircraft, guns and rockets.

Due to El Nino, the world has seen a dramatic increase in extreme weather events such as heat waves, drought and torrential rain this year. China's south has suffered severe flooding, while the northwest is likely to be hit by drought.

As of Wednesday, over 1,508 counties across 28 provinces have reported floods, with 237 fatalities and 93 missing.

Weather modification usually refers to cloud-seeding practices that involve shooting various substance into clouds, such as silver iodide, salts and dry ice, to bring on the formation of larger raindrops and trigger downpours, as well as clear smog and clouds.

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