Earthquake Weather Fact or Fiction

Crashnburn

Crashnburn

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Crashnburn
I’m an import to CA from KS. Tornado weather in KS was essentially summer.

People here sometimes talk about earthquake weather. I’m starting to think because it’s unseasonably warm and humid, with light breezes that an earthquake is eminent. But maybe it’s just a long stretch of Indian Summer.
 
Unless a pretty moderate one comes and your plane is in a hangar it's better than a tornado! Seriously I lived in California (San Jose) for over a year and never experienced a 'quake and never heard such a thing as "Earthquake Weather". We are definitely overdue for a "Big One" in the U.S.
 
It's an urban myth. And a new one to me as well.

But just remind yourself. This ain't Kansas, Toto.
 
Look up earthquake lights..
Earlier this year we had several unusually severe storms pass through central Maryland. During one of these electrical storms I was sitting in the kitchen talking with one of my co-workers when the air sizzled then exploded outside, about 40 feet from us. The electrical crackling went on afterwards for about 10 seconds. We sat there looking at each other and then our eyes got wider as we both recognized that the ground was shaking. It was very slight and lasted for maybe 30 seconds. I grew up in California and he in Mexico and we know what earthquakes feel like. He said he saw the 'lightning' going up out of the ground. It had run up a 60 foot high Douglas fir and a small cedar tree and blown the tops off of both of them. 20' feet off of the top of the fir. Pieces of the trees were lying 100 ft. away. If you look up earth quake lights there is a theory that shifting layers of soil acting on certain types of stone can create the electrical charge required to do something like this....
Dunno but had never heard of this before. Might tie into the OP's post;-)?
 
I have some non-scientific reasons for saying there is "Earthquake Weather."

Never associated humidity with it, more like un-seasonably HOT in the early mornings. I worked graveyard shifts when I was in college (yes, I went, and yes I gradumated)

I think it was the Palmdale quake in the late 80's where we actually talked about the weather around 5am and an hour later it hit.

So, anecdotal at best, OWT at worst, but I believe in it.
 
I live in Silicon Valley now but spent several years in So. Cal before moving here. I’ve experienced earthquakes in both areas. Luckily, far from the epicenters. I talk about the Lola Prieta earthquake the most.
 
Yup, From earth to sky. I originally looked up 'earthquakes caused by lightning' after that and didn't find much. Then the earthquake lights thing came up. Interesting. ;-)
 
One time I looked out my front door just in time to see lightning hit the ground about 75 feet or so away. I saw a cloud of dust go straight up and a few rocks flew up in the air. I didn't feel anything such as a shock or the ground shake.

As dry as it was I was more concerned over something catching fire.

Anyone interested in buying a earthquake early warning dog.??
 
Not a thing.

Earthquakes are scary, we will fall into the ocean!

....everyone else say out of California! (like you need another reason...)
 
Shawn said:
Not a thing.

Earthquakes are scary, we will fall into the ocean!

....everyone else say out of California! (like you need another reason...)
Click to expand...

No, we're just going to end up in Alaska.... there.... that will keep them away :)
 
I don't know whether to believe the idea of "earthquake weather" or not, but there's enough of a pattern to make a lot of us SoCal natives think about it ...

Sylmar, 2/9/1971, 6:00 AM, M6.5: clear, warm (for February), dry weather.

Whittier Narrows, 10/1/1987, 7:42 AM, M5.9: clear, warm, dry weather (Santa Ana wind condition).

Northridge, 1/17/1994, 4:31 AM, M6.7: clear, warm, dry weather (Santa Ana wind condition, 65˚F in pre-dawn hours in January).​
 
Pilawt said:
I don't know whether to believe the idea of "earthquake weather" or not, but there's enough of a pattern to make a lot of us SoCal natives think about it ...

Sylmar, 2/9/1971, 6:00 AM, M6.5: clear, warm (for February), dry weather.

Whittier Narrows, 10/1/1987, 7:42 AM, M5.9: clear, warm, dry weather (Santa Ana wind condition).

Northridge, 1/17/1994, 4:31 AM, M6.7: clear, warm, dry weather (Santa Ana wind condition, 65˚F in pre-dawn hours in January).​
Click to expand...

And how many clear warm dry weather days with Santa Anas did not have earthquakes? :D
 
Earthquake Lights are a interesting phenomenon. Some say it’s the soil interacting with the surrounding rock. Other say it’s stress on the rock creating a piezoelectric effect.

There is some bleeding edge research regarding the Moon indirectly causing earthquakes due to positioning and/or tidal effects.
 
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