What events could there be in that city?

[teechar]

"Case" = "incident," right? Why doesn't "case" indicate the existence of an "incident"?

No! In "if this was the case", the word "case" means something like "the situation being described", and "was" means "true".

For example:
A: I think James is poor.
B: If this was the case, how could he afford the expensive car he bought last week?
Here, "if this was the case" means "if James is truly poor".

 

[Pilot]

I don't understand why in "If there were a case, the conditions would change" the word "case" cannot mean existence, but in "I don't know what problems there might be" the word "problems" can. Both "case" and "problems" are not physical objects

 

[Pilot]

For example:
A: I think James is poor.
B: If this was the case, how could he afford the expensive car he bought last week?

That's understandable because "this" refers to the previous statement

 

[teechar]

"If there were a case,

What do you mean by that?

 

[Pilot]

I mean that under certain circumstances conditions (case) could arise that would cause other events to occur. When these conditions are arising, it means that they exist

 

[teechar]

Then that's the wrong phrase.

 

[Pilot]

If there were a case like yesterday's, the conditions would change

 

[teechar]

If there were a case

For the umpteenth time: that's not natural!
Forget about it.

 

[5jj]

If there were a case like yesterday's, the conditions would change

For the umpteenth time: that's not natural!

But, I think, possible.

 

[teechar]

But, I think, possible.

It's possible in specific contexts, yes. For example, "case" might refer to a legal case (in court), or to a briefcase/suitcase.

 

[jutfrank]

It appears Pilot is using 'case' in the sense of an exemplary instance.

If there were a case like yesterday's, the conditions would change

Yes, that's clear enough now, to me at least. Yes, this is a case (!) of existential there-be.