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I know all three of these events are FARFETCHED AND UNLIKELY but among these three, which do you think would be the most likely to happen in the next several years. In other words which is more believable?
1) Los Angeles, CA getting 6 inches of snow at sea level. People make snow angels and build snowmen on the beach. To clarify, it's actual snow at subfreezing temperatures falling at the beach. Not imported snow from the nearby mountains or "snow at room temperature fantasy" I created in another thread.
2) Honolulu, HI getting brief snow flurries for 30 seconds..Again, this is actual snow (not hail) at freezing or near freezing temperatures although in this case it could be mixed in with rain at temperatures in the upper 30s F.
3) The Earth loses it's spin completely: National Geographic ran a really cool special on this scenario..anything's possible!
Honolulu has never gotten anywhere near freezing, and it's highly unlikely that the requisite moisture would be in place at the same time the freeze came. The Earth's rotation stopping is totally impossible unless there was a relatively large planet impacting us, in which case the surface would be molten, so day length would be the least of our problems. Los Angeles has received snow before, it has received freezes before, and there are Pacific Storms that roll in during winter. If LA has received snowfall of any kind, theoretically there is nothing preventing 6 inches from falling. All that is needed is for the previous situation to recur only with greatly added moisture. Far fetched, to be sure, but I think it's the least far-fetched scenario of the three.
LA getting snow: we know from historical records that this has already happened a few times before. As for amounting to 6 inches, as PM said, it's theoretically not impossible. In fact, I would bet it has already happened before the historical period, perhaps sometime during the so-called "little Ice Age" or some such other cool period in the past. Scenario 2 is far less likely and scenario 3 belongs to science fiction.
Ok- the LA one is not quite as farfetched as I thought when I made this poll-It could be a once in 500 year event, meaning with the right set of freakish circumstances, it could actually happen without suspending "the rules of science as we know it." An outlier event but still theoretically possible.
The Honolulu one happening in the next few years would require us to go into a sudden "ice age" like the one 10,000 years ago- As in the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," where the earth is plunged into a sudden ice age in a matter of days....ENTERTAINING movie but it would suspend the laws of recorded human experience for it to happen. My guess it could theoretically happen but the odds of it happening within the next few years is about the same as me buying one lottery ticket a week for the next 50 years and winning the mega-jackpot every single week over the next 50 years.
Or without the sudden global ice-age, maybe an extreme cold snap to hit the islands with some moisture with it? Is that theoretically possible at all? Patricius; you seem to have a lot of scientific knowledge in this area?
The Earth losing its spin would make a great sci-fi-horror movie- anyone want to start working on the script? The National Geographic special was interesting but I'd prefer a 2-3 hour movie with special effects, 3-D, and a good storyline with good acting/drama. I vote it as a joke.
Last edited by AdriannaSmiling; 03-20-2013 at 05:02 PM..
I picked the snow in LA. It has happened several times since statehood. Although the highest depth was 2 inches it is feasible it can reach 6 inches or more and may have had in the past.
Quote:
The L.A. Basin is hemmed in by mountains on three sides. Typically once each winter, snow levels drop to a couple thousand feet in a particularly cold storm system, bringing snow to some of the Santa Monica Mountains and lower hills. This occurred as recently as 2007, when Malibu received a dusting of snow.
But to get snow down to the valley floors is truly remarkable.
According to the National Weather Service, measurable snow in Downtown L.A. has occurred only three times since California statehood, most recently on January 9, 1949. Glendale College students took to pelting each other with snowballs.
On Jan. 15, 1932, a two-inch snowfall was the record heaviest snow documented in the city center. The other event was Jan. 12, 1882.
While it is true the rotation of the earth slows with each rotation and it can be calculated approximately when it will stop spinning. It is so far in the future that most likely the Earth and the entire solar syctem will cease to exist before that happens. So that made the LA snow the more probable. Just my opinion.
I picked the snow in LA. It has happened several times since statehood. Although the highest depth was 2 inches it is feasible it can reach 6 inches or more and may have had in the past.
Yes, snow accumulated in the Valley but did it accumulate on the immediate coast? Not sure if it did....
Remember there is a big difference between the coastline and 20 miles inland in California.
Also about Honolulu, ok, the flurries may be farfetched but what about the possibility of a light frost occurring there if some dry cold air where to hit?
Last edited by AdriannaSmiling; 03-21-2013 at 08:41 PM..
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