Climate—disordered

In Short

This story follows Wiley Cordes, a high-priced public relations consultant for the struggling seaside resort of Wheedonville. Facing professional ruin because tourists are flocking to a neighboring town, Burden Bay, Cordes hatches a scheme to manufacture weather. By seeding clouds with dry ice to induce snowstorms over his rival, he successfully cripples their season and saves his own position. Yet, the story persists as a biting satire on the absurdity of competition, proving that even the most calculated acts of sabotage can lead to ironic, unforeseen outcomes.

The Story

Wiley Cordes is in trouble. As the promotional expert for Wheedonville by the Sea, his failure to secure tourist traffic against the rival Burden Bay has drawn the ire of the local Chamber of Commerce. He is a man of smooth talk and expensive habits, and he knows that without a radical solution, his lucrative career in town will end. With the Chamber’s desperate, secret backing, he develops a plan to manipulate the climate. Using a converted B-25 bomber, Cordes intends to seed the clouds above Burden Bay with dry ice pellets, forcing rain and snow upon the rival resort to drive their visitors away and keep the atmosphere in Wheedonville comparatively balmy.

The plan begins with early success. During a late September morning, Cordes takes to the sky, sowing snow over Burden Bay. The media and the public are baffled by the sudden, unseasonable storms. The rival town’s economy falters; hotel reservations are canceled, and local businesses suffer, while the Wheedonville Chamber of Commerce celebrates with whiskey and toasts. Emboldened by his triumph, Cordes expands his operation. He begins to engineer rainy weekends and cold snaps whenever clouds permit. He becomes a local hero, receiving a raise and the adulation of his employers, who are delighted to see Burden Bay humiliated.

As the autumn progresses, Cordes continues his aerial attacks. He even begins to notice another, larger plane circling the same area, but he foolishly dismisses it as a coincidence, choosing not to alert his employers to the potential threat. He is too preoccupied with the spoils of his success—the packed hotels and the growing reputation of Wheedonville as the only reliable sunshine destination on the coast.

However, the tide turns in early December. The reservation numbers for Wheedonville begin to plummet, far more sharply than the seasonal transition should allow. The President of the Chamber of Commerce, now cold and unforgiving, summons Cordes to his office. He hands him a telegram, which serves as the final, stinging revelation: Burden Bay has not been destroyed by the snow; they have embraced it. The rival town has pivoted their marketing to become the coast’s premier ski destination, and they are now using the very weather-seeding tactics Cordes pioneered to ensure a steady supply of snow. The telegram mocks Cordes, thanking him for the idea and inviting him to visit their new ski runs at his own expense. His sabotage has transformed his enemy into a more successful competitor, leaving him with nothing.

How It Unfolds

The ultimatum Wiley Cordes faces the wrath of the Wheedonville Chamber of Commerce after failing to stop the tourist exodus to Burden Bay. He narrowly avoids being fired by promising a radical solution to the town's seasonal woes.

The aerial sabotage Cordes utilizes his skills as a pilot to seed clouds with dry ice, successfully triggering snowstorms over the rival city. He returns to the City Club as a hero, while Burden Bay struggles with the sudden, ruinous weather.

The escalation of conflict Over the following weeks, Cordes conducts repeated raids, causing enough precipitation to cripple his rival's economy. He grows arrogant, ignoring the presence of another mysterious aircraft that begins shadowing his flights.

The ironic reversal As winter settles in, Cordes discovers that his efforts have failed to secure Wheedonville's prosperity. A final telegram from Burden Bay reveals that they have adopted his techniques to brand themselves as a ski resort, effectively outmaneuvering him at his own game.

The People

Wiley Cordes is the central figure, a "dapper young-old man" who views the world as a series of problems to be solved with marketing and deception. He is motivated by the desire to maintain his high salary and professional status. His arrogance eventually blinds him to the fact that his adversaries are just as opportunistic and ruthless as he is.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce represents the collective, cold-blooded business interests of Wheedonville. He is a man of "measured wrath" who is initially terrifying to Cordes. His interest in the scheme is purely financial; he supports the sabotage as long as it generates wealth, but he is quick to discard Cordes the moment the plan stops producing results.

The Burden Bay Chamber of Commerce functions as the unseen, clever antagonist. They remain in the shadows throughout the story, but their final act—adopting the snow-seeding technology—demonstrates a level of pragmatism that exceeds Cordes' own. They evolve from victims of the weather to savvy innovators, successfully turning a catastrophe into a new, profitable business model.

In Its Own Voice

"When I undertook to lift your resort trade here in Wheedonville by the Sea above that of Burden Bay, I could not, of course, foresee that Mrs. Quinlan in our rival metropolis was going to give birth to quintuplets."

Cordes attempts to deflect blame for his poor performance by citing the bizarre, unforeseen luck of his rival city.

"The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Wheedonville by the Sea was stately and rather terrifying in his measured wrath."

The tone of the story is established immediately through the description of the high-stakes, formal pressure placed upon Cordes.

"His snowmaking flights no longer needed stop we have adopted idea ourselves stop once again thanks from the only ski resort on the coast."

The final, biting message from Burden Bay serves as the ultimate conclusion to the conflict, revealing the total defeat of the protagonist.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book serves as a satire on the folly of shortsighted corporate competition. It explores how greed can lead individuals and communities to ignore the ethical implications of their actions, provided the result is a boost in revenue. The story questions the arrogance of the "expert" who believes he can control nature to suit his own economic ends. By treating the weather as a commodity, Cordes inadvertently triggers a market response he cannot control. It is a portrait of a world where innovation is immediately stripped of its morality and repurposed by the competition, proving that in a dog-eat-dog environment, every advantage is merely temporary.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy stories about clever schemes gone wrong will find this a quick, satisfying read. It captures the mid-century corporate atmosphere—filled with mahogany tables, cigars, and a specific brand of professional posturing—that feels both dated and strangely familiar. The writing is clipped, cynical, and moves with the efficiency of a thriller.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the period-specific tropes. The characters are archetypes of 1940s business culture, and there is little psychological depth; the focus remains strictly on the mechanics of the plot. The narrative moves very fast, which can sometimes make the transition from Cordes’ triumph to his downfall feel abrupt, almost like a comedic sketch. Yet, the story stays with you because of its sharp ending. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of being "too clever by half." If you appreciate stories that mock the pride of professionals who think they have mastered the game, you will find this piece of pulp fiction to be a witty, if minor, classic of its genre. It is a reminder that in any race to the bottom, the person who finishes last is the one who didn't realize the rules of the game had changed.