No Scientific Basis For So-Called "Quake Clouds": Japan Weather Expert

A Japanese weather expert has stated that there is no scientific basis for the so-called "earthquake clouds" and has urged people not to spread false information after social media posts claimed that such clouds appeared following the latest earthquake off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, Ei Okada reported for Mainichi Japan.

The magnitude 7.1 quake led the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue its first-ever Nankai Trough earthquake bulletin.

The magnitude 7.1 quake led the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue its first-ever Nankai Trough earthquake bulletin.

Rumors on social media included statements like, "I heard that earthquake clouds appear before temblors. I'm afraid of omens," and "there were three lines of earthquake clouds."

Kentaro Araki, 39, a cloud expert and senior researcher at the JMA's Meteorological Research Institute, said, “It’s impossible to determine the effects of an earthquake by looking at the clouds.”

Araki, who served as the meteorological supervisor for the 2019 anime film Weathering With You, stressed that clouds are classified into 10 categories, including cirrus, stratus, and cumulonimbus, based on their altitude, shape, and other elements.

He noted that there are more than 400 types when subdivided by transparency and other factors. "Meteorology can explain the shape and condition of all clouds that are commonly referred to as 'earthquake clouds,'" he concluded.