Social Question

erichw1504's avatar

What if the weather on Earth was virtually unpredictable?

Asked by erichw1504 (26453points) January 14th, 2010

Imagine if Earth had very random weather patterns and our technology could not predict it at all. So, one day it could be warm and sunny and the next could be significantly cooler with snow flurries without knowing beforehand.

How would our lives be different socially, physically, mentally. What would be some big differences in how you would have to live? How different would Earth be?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

28 Answers

grumpyfish's avatar

Probably be a lot like when I lived in the East Bay of San Francisco, commuted to San Francisco, and worked in a very warm office building.

Or, the studio my freshman year of college which was located directly above a steam line, so was always 85 degrees, although the weather outside could be in the 20’s. You’d dress in layers.

OrganicQuotes's avatar

Judging by our current weather predictions and the accuracy of our weather stations….I’d say it already is…lol

wonderingwhy's avatar

well, provided we made it this far we’d probably grow all of our food hydroponically. SAD probably wouldn’t exist or would be much more dramatic. Clothing would probably be more environmentally adaptive.

I guess it really depends on just how extreme the fluctuations would be and if life evolved during such conditions or if those extremes came about suddenly.

wilma's avatar

I kind of live in a place like that already. :)
Heat on in the car in the morning, air conditioning in the afternoon.

faye's avatar

We would call it Alberta. It is +7 C today. Snow is melting, windows open. Last week it was -37C. No one goes anywhere in an alberta summer without a coat. We’ve gad snow in every month.

ETpro's avatar

We love to kvetch about the weatherman’s gaffes, but truth be told, I am amazed at how accurate weather forecasting has gotten. The old joke is it’s right often enough you can’t ignore it and wrong often enough you can’t rely on it. But it is getting better year by year.

CMaz's avatar

We would operate the way we did 100+ years ago.

Cruiser's avatar

I live in Chicago and that’s exactly the way the weather has been my whole life!! 40 degree temperature swings are a weekly occurrence! No biggie!

Your_Majesty's avatar

It actually predictable(but 100% accurate) by studying the pattern of weather/climate on earth. I guess there would be no different at all,unless if human interfere some of the nature’s work(like illegal logging,vehicle emission,and many more) which will cause changing in nature’s balance and it’s weather pattern. We(human race) have already face those ever changing weather(or even climate) on earth which changed our environment rapidly and we survived.

wundayatta's avatar

What if we never invented the wheel?

lilikoi's avatar

Then mathematics as we know it would probably be shattered, and a LOT of things that seem to be completely unrelated to weather – like telling time, navigation, agriculture – would all be affected.

Dr_Lawrence's avatar

It would be like where I live. It can go from 10 C (50 F) and sunny to -20 C (-8 F) or vice versa in 2 or 3 hours during the daytime.

Four days ago I had drifts of snow two feet high. Two days ago they were two inches high.
This is in Canada in the coldest month of every year!

lilikoi's avatar

@ChazMaz : No, I don’t think so. Even 100+ years ago, ancient civilizations depended on weather (the constant appearing and disappearing of the sun, e.g.) for survival. All of our modern day inventions and lifestyles hinge on our ancestors – we evolved to where we are now, we didn’t get here independently. If weather was totally unpredictable, the Earth might not rotate around the sun in a constant orbit. Can you imagine what would or would not be possible if physics was altered to that extent? The universe itself might be a completely different place.

wonderingwhy's avatar

just thought this was interesting considering the question. Earth’s Coldest Temperature

CMaz's avatar

“if Earth had very random weather patterns”

Are we talking about random patterns to the extent of Sci-Fi?

erichw1504's avatar

@ChazMaz I’m talking about putting aside all factors about how this may not be possible, just imagine if Earth was like that. Just random temperatures, winds, precipitation, etc… and we could not predict it.

CMaz's avatar

I see it this way. If we were there to experience those random patterns.
We would be surviving and then it would be business as usual.

erichw1504's avatar

@ChazMaz So, it wouldn’t affect you in any way? You would go about your life in the same way you do now?

CMaz's avatar

No I would probably go about it like people of 100+ years ago did. :-)

Your_Majesty's avatar

@erichw1504 Sorry,I just want to correct my early answer. I meant it actually predictable(but NOT 100% accurate). Sometime I type just too fast (I can’t edit my answer anymore).

HGl3ee's avatar

We would all have HUGE closets :D Now excuse me while I go daydream!!

ultimateego's avatar

i only know this: it will be insanely awesome.

CMaz's avatar

It will be insanely awesome??! LOL

flo's avatar

There is a lot of unpredictiblity now. Turning off the ignition of our cars as much as possible to keep the air to stay as clean as possible, for example, ....

the100thmonkey's avatar

We wouldn’t be here.

Think how important seasonal weather variations are to much of the life on the planet. If the weather were truly unpredictable (I read your question as implying ‘random’, correct me if I’m wrong), I am in no doubt that primates wouldn’t have evolved. Something else might have, but it wouldn’t be us, and it wouldn’t be like us.

Fred931's avatar

@the100thmonkey Then what would we be?

the100thmonkey's avatar

@Fred931: That should be pretty clear from my previous comment.

kritiper's avatar

It would be like getting laid.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.
Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther