Scattering by droplets/aerosols is an effect that drastically reduces the capability of an optical system to focus at range, it's like shining a flashlight thro

Scattering by droplets/aerosols is an effect that drastically reduces the capability of an optical system to focus at range, it's like shining a flashlight through milk - not the same as variations in air density that you could maybe partially compensate for using adaptive optics. In rain, common LIDAR wavelengths, like 905nm and 1550nm lose about 0.1-1% of their power due to scattering per meter travelled and on top of that 0.1-1% due to absorption. Of course, this will not scale linearly with higher power but it's a lot even if it's ten times less. For laser weapons to be effective you need a clear line of sight in the respective wavelength.