Has it ever rained frogs or fish?« Back to Questions List

To your surprise, the answer is yes. It is one of the very rare meteorological phenomena. Although very rare, there have been instances reportedly of rain of fish, shells or even frozen frogs falling from the skies. You may wonder how these creatures reached the sky in the first place. These are not the creatures living up in the sky but the ones found in the lakes or ponds or the sea. 

In 1984, live six-inch flounders (fish) fell on a London neighborhood. On August 6th, 2000, the fishing port of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England experienced a shower of fish.

The reason behind the carrying of these creatures to the sky is the tornado. When tornadoes travel over the water bodies, they become waterspouts. Waterspouts are rotating column of water spray formed by a whirlwind occurring over the sea or any other body of water. A tornado that travels from land to water could be considered a tornadic waterspout.

 
The waterspouts suck up lake or ocean water along with the fish or frogs (in the water) miles away up in the sky. These creatures are blown around in the clouds till the wind speed decreases. They are encased in a layer of ice or hail in the clouds. When it rains, these creatures held within blocks of ice reach the earth. Such incidences have been reported in many countries. However this can never happen in the absence of strong winds or waterspouts.

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