A house destroyed by an earthquake.
It is a tight and oppressive day, perhaps hot and humid, with clouds appearing in the sky and no rain in sight. People may view this day as typical earthquake weather, a term used to describe weather patterns that suggest an earthquake may be near. In fact, there is no such thing, and a general study of the pattern and occurrence of earthquakes shows that they occur in all seasons, all temperatures, all times of day, and in many different weather patterns.
Earthquakes can occur during all kinds of weather patterns.
Aristotle, the philosopher and intellectual, assumed that earthquakes were caused by winds in caves, and as such, there was a specific climate that indicated them. This is definitely not the case. Like most people, Aristotle sought to explain things that were mysteries by making logical hypotheses. Since Aristotle, many people have pointed to various weather signals to predict earthquakes.
Aristotle hypothesized that earthquakes were caused by certain weather conditions.
While weather patterns can’t cause earthquakes, they can influence the amount of damage one does. Prior to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, several months of heavy rain caused the ground beneath the structures to soften, leading to more shaking in the buildings and more damage overall. The rains did not cause the earthquake, but they made its aftermath more severe.
Heavy rains before the San Francisco earthquake increased the severity of the 1906 earthquake.
In recent studies, a theory that has gained more acceptance is that small differences in thermal temperature, seen by satellite, can be a good predictor of certain types of earthquakes. These temperature changes occurred before some of the major earthquakes of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and a body of evidence is being compiled that could one day help predict earthquakes. Thermal changes tend to occur only a few hours before earthquakes, do not typically affect the weather, and may not provide enough time to allow for earthquake warnings.
So far, scientists have not found a reliable indicator of large earthquakes.
For now, scientists have no reliable predictors for earthquakes and are far from predicting how severe an earthquake might be. Scientists trust probabilities more than predictions. For example, San Francisco is likely to have a major earthquake, which has been called “The Big One” for more than 30 years. What is likely is not always predictable. The general statements of seismologists now focus on statements such as: “We are sure it will happen, but we don’t know when.”
Instead of using seismic weather signals as a guide to predicting earthquakes, it makes more sense for people who live in earthquake-prone areas to always be prepared for earthquakes. There are many websites on the Internet that focus on earthquake preparedness and can put people at ease if they are feeling nervous about the possibility of one occurring.