No scientific basis for so-called ‘quake clouds’
“Rotor clouds,” which are sometimes mistakenly believed to be related to earthquakes, are seen in this photo taken from a book on weather phenomena authored by researcher Kentaro Araki and published by Kadokawa Corp.
A weather expert in Japan emphasizes that there is no scientific basis for so-called “earthquake clouds” and is calling on people to be careful not to spread false information, after posts making claims about such clouds appeared on social media following the Aug. 8 earthquake off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture.
The magnitude 7.1 quake led to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issuing its first ever Nankai Trough earthquake bulletin. Rumors on social media include, “I heard that earthquake clouds appear before temblors. I’m afraid of omens,” and, “There were three lines of earthquake clouds.”
“It’s impossible to determine the effects of an earthquake by looking at clouds,” says Kentaro Araki, a 39-year-old cloud expert and senior researcher at the JMA’s Meteorological Research Institute. He was the meteorological supervisor for the 2019 anime film “Weathering With You.”
Cloud researcher Kentaro Araki is seen in this photo taken from his best-selling book “Sugosugiru tenki no zukan” on weather phenomena published by Kadokawa Corp.
According to Araki, clouds are classified into 10 categories, including cirrus, stratus and cumulonimbus, based on their altitude, shape and other elements, and there are more than 400 types if they are subdivided by transparency and other factors. Among them, airplane clouds and striped wave clouds are apparently often mistaken for quake clouds, but he says, “Meteorology can explain the shape and condition of all clouds that are commonly referred to as ‘earthquake clouds.'”
Araki also posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Aug. 8, saying, “Clouds can’t be a precursor to earthquakes.” He continued, “If you are worried about quakes, make sure you are prepared on a regular basis. Let’s admire clouds.”
“Immediately after a major temblor, ‘earthquake cloud’ claims plus conspiracy theories such as that earthquakes are artificially induced tend to spread,” Araki said. “I hope that people will take a breath, calm down and avoid spreading these ‘disaster hoaxes.'”
Researcher Kentaro Araki says, “Clouds can’t be a precursor to earthquakes,” in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Earthquake clouds have become a topic every time a major temblor occurs. As far back as 1983, after the Sea of Japan earthquake off the coast of Akita Prefecture, such rumors spread, and the Mainichi Shimbun reported at the time that the JMA stated that there was no basis for such clouds.
The agency maintains that “there is no scientific explanation supporting seismic clouds appearing in relation to earthquakes.” The Seismological Society of Japan also expresses a negative view on its website, stating that “earthquake researchers generally believe that there is no relationship between clouds and quakes” because there is no known mechanism linking these phenomena.
