Questions tagged [weather]
For questions related to the climate, temperature and precipitation that a world might experience. Compare [climate] and [seasons].
359
questions
19
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8answers
3k views
Is it possible for a planet to have the same seasons in both hemispheres?
Our spherical planet has two hemispheres divided at the equator. Those living in the north hemisphere experience the opposite season as those living in the south hemisphere at any given time of year. ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
What is the climate like 200 years after nuclear war?
I know there would probably be an ash-based cooling period, but, how long would that last and then what happens? Is the post-apocalyptic desert even possible in a post-nuclear war world?
7
votes
1answer
134 views
Infinite flat earth weather patterns [closed]
The world is infinite in extent (both in area and age), with no large-scale curvature (normal mountains and such exist). The sun is infinitely far away, but has infinite size. The net effect is to ...
5
votes
1answer
45 views
Weather with extreme seasons
Assuming the axial tilt of the Earth was increased to roughly 30°, and the orbital eccentricity roughly doubled(0.03 as opposed to 0.016) so that the average temperature stayed the same, but the ...
2
votes
3answers
145 views
Weather and climate of Massive Grass Plains?
In my world I want a massive region (7 million mi²) to be as flat as the Great Plains. There are no trees or hills; basically it's just a grass sea.
I am trying to figure out what kind of weather ...
3
votes
1answer
117 views
Meteorological consequences of walls reaching into the sky, enclosing a large area
Suppose we walled off a 1000 km square. These walls would be made of unobtanium (so they don't break), and have no cracks or holes that go all the way through. They are also around 15 kilometres high, ...
2
votes
3answers
52 views
Mechanism behind ocean-containing ice caps
I don't fully understand the mechanisms behind an ice cap that contains all the water in the oceans. Just to be specific, I have a planet that resembles Mars, i.e. desert at the equator, ice at poles. ...
3
votes
1answer
210 views
Can a commercial airliner survive a trip through a thunderstorm cloud?
A terrorist mage cast a thunderstorm spell. Unfortunately, a commercial airliner was the target of said spell, which spawned the storm right around the aircraft.
The aircraft itself is a large ...
3
votes
2answers
38 views
Frequent Solar Eclipse Cycle and Its Effects [closed]
I’m trying to imagine a sci-fi/fantasy world in which a solar eclipse occurs roughly once every 3 or 4 days. The exact frequency can be arbitrary and varied, but it does need to occur often. I would ...
5
votes
1answer
121 views
I would appreciate your advice on the climate of my world
There are some things I don't understand. So far I have my map pretty developed but I think I made some mistakes and there are places I am not sure about. I know I made some mistakes with ocean ...
6
votes
8answers
2k views
How Would I Make an Oceanless World Feasible?
The planet I'm thinking of is of similar size and distance from its star relative to Earth, but it lacks oceans, instead consisting of one massive continent with a huge mountain range (reminiscent of ...
2
votes
0answers
59 views
Could ocean and wind currents form on a tidally heated body
The moon is similar to earth but orbits around a gas giant, the sun has ended its life cycle and so the only energy received on the moon comes from tidal interactions heating its core.
On earth and ...
2
votes
1answer
97 views
Could Long, Dense Walls of “Megamangroves” Deflect The Deadliest of Storms?
This is the world's tallest tree--the coast redwood. It can grow as high up as 115.5 meters. Any taller, and the transportation of water in its vascular tissues would not climb all the way.
But in ...
1
vote
1answer
66 views
How do I get strong storms on a slow rotator
My planet has a day length of ~52 earth hours. This means storms like hurricaines and thunderstorms will be weaker.
How do I combat this and generate really strong storms and winds on a slow ...
3
votes
1answer
140 views
If Earth had a sideways axial tilt (like Uranus), would Earth still have tornadoes?
Imagine Earth was hit hard by some force so devastating that Earth now has an axial tilt of 90.0 degrees, a far cry from the usual 23.5 degree. The same force somehow eliminates the Moon. In my story, ...
8
votes
2answers
189 views
Is it realistic that mountain cultures use a different calendar than the low landers?
My fantasy setting is on a wet and humid world of innumerable islands; many of which are quite mountainous.
With conditions ranging from Mediterranean to Tropical.
The culture here experience only ...
3
votes
3answers
98 views
How could a portable handheld weather machine work?
Intro: As some of you may know, the character shown in this picture is none other than the Weather Wizard, one of the Flash's most dangerous adversaries. With the help of rod-like device in his hand (...
2
votes
1answer
36 views
Volcanic island generating its own storms
Picture this, a highly volcanic island sitting in the middle of a temperate or sub-arctic sea, the heat generated by the magma beneath the island and the volcano heats the air enough to generate a ...
0
votes
1answer
77 views
What practical considrations would a world forever trapped in cold, snow, and ice face? [closed]
I'm building a world - or rather 3 interconnected worlds of cold and ice. The idea is worlds in a snowglobe because of a mis-worded wish of "I wish everything would stay the same forever."
The first ...
2
votes
3answers
151 views
Could an enormous structure be used to attract rain by acting as an artificial mountain?
If it were possible to build a giant geodesic dome tens of miles in diameter, what effect would it have on nearby weather?
If built in an arid climate like the Sahara or Australia, would it be ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
How would X-Seed 4000(s) affect the weather?
So, the X-Seed 4000 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Seed_4000) is a rather large lad. The tallest building ever fully realized. Let's just say that, in five decades, they decide to actually build ...
4
votes
3answers
753 views
Is there any way for humanity to cope with perpetual acid rains?
All of a sudden, overnight, abruptly, weather forecast guys go on strikes... everywhere is raining nitric acid non stop so that on average the amount reported is 100mm and the pH level is 3 ...
2
votes
1answer
514 views
Building creatures with a mist-like atmosphere [closed]
What would creatures look like if they evolve on a world that was constantly covered in mist.
Assume the planet is much like Earth, it has 7 continents, various habitat, and a nearby moon, but the ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Could a planet have a single source of wind?
I was creating a map of the air currents in my world, working back from the climates of the land (which I had already determined). (The world consists of one continent, similar to Pangea, with empty ...
20
votes
3answers
7k views
How cold does it have to be to freeze a waterfall
I have designed a group of medieval towns located on a valley, all of them connected by a navigable river wich ends on a big waterfall. There are some elevators at the side of the waterfall that ...
9
votes
4answers
307 views
If we dug a really big hole on Mars, how long would it last?
How long will a 400 km wide 30 km deep pit (trench or crater) with a relatively shallow (for stability) gradient of slope of 20 degrees from the edge to the surface of the planets crust be expected to ...
5
votes
1answer
201 views
What would happen if ocean currents suddenly stopped (or changed)?
I'm thinking about a device (in a story I'm writing) that could control ocean currents, and I'm wondering how it could be weaponized. For example, if an ocean current was suddenly stopped, what might ...
7
votes
2answers
766 views
Permanent Mist/Fog in an area [duplicate]
How could a region have a (semi-) permanent mist/fog?
As close to natural as possible but possible enhancements are an option like:
Technological : can both be chemical or mechanical but should ...
4
votes
2answers
245 views
How could a human society survive in areas with average annual temperatures below -30°C?
I ask this question because in my fictional world, I want to create extremely cold, populated areas, especially in Northernmost areas, but I noticed that in our real world, regions with less than -30°...
24
votes
5answers
6k views
What would happen to the world if all lightning stopped?
Imagine you have a weather-controlling device that you use to eliminate all lightning strikes. They're just too dangerous. What happens to the earth? Does lightning serve a necessary purpose to any ...
10
votes
3answers
368 views
Hurricane-force winds or gentle breezes in an O'Neill Cylinder?
Let's consider an O'Neill cylinder with a radius of 3.2km and length of 20km. In the classic O'Neill design, we have three large axis-aligned windows in the shell, alternating between purlins of ...
6
votes
3answers
178 views
Can Shade Balls be used to stop hurricanes?
I think it would make sense for hurricanes to be combatted using shade balls to block the evaporation of the ocean into the storm.
What would we need to stop a hurricane?
Info on shade balls.
36
votes
7answers
7k views
What would be the effect of a giant magical fireball burning in the ocean?
Original prompt:
"What would be the effect of a giant magic fireball burning in the ocean?
Imagine there's a magical fireball that stays in one spot in the middle of the ocean and emits heat at a ...
5
votes
4answers
242 views
Can a Jupiter-Like Gas Giant Have Deep, Dark Storms?
For this question, I was inspired by the following image of the "Jupiter Abyss":
What I want to know is, can a Jupiter-like gas giant have thousands of giant black storms, kind of like what I've ...
0
votes
3answers
286 views
Once a year, swords rain from the sky. How does this change the world? [closed]
Assuming an earth-like planet, how would annual, hour-long, literal bladestorms transform: ecology, geology, and human society?
Assuming the first one happens tomorrow, what changes in the next few ...
3
votes
2answers
127 views
Would this setup of a terraformed moon hold up?
[Edits added in italic]
BACKGROUND
A few thousand years from now the moon has become one of many habitable places in the solar system. Economy, constant growing knowledge and human will made drastic ...
3
votes
2answers
287 views
What would the temperatures on a terraformed moon be like?
In the far future the moon is terraformed and maintains earth-like conditions for people to walk around freely. Gravity is a 6th of earth's. We assume the atmosphere is "well-functioning for human ...
3
votes
3answers
347 views
The Earth-like world's been shrouded by darkness. For how long would the civilization be able survive?
In this setting, the Continent has been hit by several catastrophes, caused by the inner workings of planet's tectonics, and the eruption of a volcano far on the other side of the world. Gravest of ...
6
votes
2answers
176 views
A semi perpetual gloomy climate is possible?
I'd like to know if a climate with snowy and gloomy winters and rainy and cloudy summers is possible. Because the climate of Russia in summer is sunny enough and the Icelandic ones isn't so snowy. So ...
11
votes
5answers
1k views
What would be the seasonal impact on the indoor climate of a giant dome habitation? [closed]
I am writing about a city inside a dome which protects it from an inhospitable environment. I would like the dome to have it's own self-regulating ecosystem, at least enough to provide rainfall ...
3
votes
3answers
201 views
What would the weather be like after the world is shaded by an immense object?
I have a situation in my imaginary setting, and I am specifically interested in how this situation would affect the weather.
The situation is as follows:
Positioned above a large landmass of my ...
-1
votes
3answers
174 views
How would the weather act if you blocked sunlight?
Consider a large flat disc, at least two thousand miles in diameter. It is thin and has comparatively little weight or mass, but it is also opaque and does not let any light through.
This flat disc ...
30
votes
10answers
8k views
How can glass marbles naturally occur in a desert?
I had a dream that on my alien planet, there was a large desert that had naturally occurring glass marbles in the sand. My dream logic was that the sand was melted into glass and natural weathering ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
World of (nearly) identical snowflakes
In a lab at Caltech Ken Libbrecht has been simulating snowflake formation and under absurdly exact laboratory conditions, they have been able to create almost identical snowflakes.
Clearly, in the ...
27
votes
9answers
5k views
Keeping an “hot eyeball planet” wet
Consider such a tidally locked planet:
Many issues with tidally locked worlds have been discussed, but I'm not clear on how the water cycle for an otherwise Earth-like tidally locked world, would be ...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
What's the climate consequences of a planet with these characteristics?
I'm designing a new planet, but I'm having some troubles figuring out the climate.
The planet's rotation axis is at a 45° angle relative to its orbital plane, and each rotation takes 24h.
The planet'...
6
votes
1answer
147 views
What set of circumstances are most likely to lead to a planet with a climate resembling the Great Plains?
Part of my story will be set on a planet where a culture similar to that of the Old West has arisen - cowboys, frontier towns, homesteaders, etc. In order to make this development more plausible, I ...
6
votes
1answer
217 views
Is it possible to have a planet with earth-like mass but double the atmospheric pressure?
I'm no scientist and my poor brain box is on its last legs; I was wondering if any of you smart beans out there would be able to help me figure this out? Here are the specs of my system;
Kereiol is a ...
12
votes
2answers
285 views
Thunderstorms, 24/7
There are a number of places in which cumulonimbus clouds - and therefore, thunderstorms - are likely to form, such as:
Cold fronts, where masses of cold air move into hot, moist air masses
Around ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
Cold Weather Patterns
I’m working on a world with a mild but near constant winter. This weather pattern moves down the latitude and causes deep snows and some ice at worst in the mountains to heavy monsoons in tropic ...
