Why Are Fish Falling From the Sky in Texas? Bizarre 'Fish Rain' Explained
This picture shows a dead fish as floodwaters recede along the banks of the Nepean river in Penrith suburb on March 22, 2021, as Sydney braced for its worst flooding in decades after record rainfall caused its largest dam to overflow and as deluges prompted mandatory mass evacuation orders along Australia's east coast. SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Something fishy happened in Texas before the year 2021 ended. Residents of a town witnessed a rare weather phenomenon in which fish started to rain down from the sky.

On December 29, residents of Texarkana reported that small fish started to fall from the sky in what many described as an epochal weather condition.

In a Facebook post by the city of Texarkana, they talked about the rare but not impossible weather phenomenon."2021 is pulling out all the tricks... including raining fish in Texarkana today. And no, this isn't a joke," stated the post that was accompanied by a picture of a fish in the middle of a grassy field.

However, the reality was not as epic as it may seem. The city also explained that a waterspout most likely picked up the fish, which were said to be around palm-sized.

The waterspout possibly dropped the fish back down to the ground after it lost momentum, Fox News reported.

Fish Rain in Texas Is Rare but Not Impossible

According to National Geographic, fish rain is an example of animal rain. Animal rain is a rare but real weather event that happens when waterspouts sweep up small animals such as snakes, bats, birds, frogs, or in this case, fish, and they fall down the earth with raindrops.

Strong winds called updrafts can also pick up larger animals than waterspouts. While these incidents are rare, they can always happen when the weather condition is right and if the animals' weight is just light enough.

Texas Residents Amazed by the Fish Rain

Despite the explanation by the city government, residents are still amazed by the bizarre weather event. One resident, Tim Brigham, told CNN that he thought that seeing small fish falling from the sky was pretty cool and useful because he was able to get a bucketful that he would use as bait for fishing.

Meanwhile, Discount Wheel and Tire employees stopped their regular work to clean up their parking lot, which was filled with swimmers from the sky.

Other residents also shared their own photos of fish in their backyards after the city asked on Facebook to show their own "fishy pics." Most pictures of the fish were not bigger than the palm of the people who posted them.

The animal rain in Texarkana is one of the only recorded moments of the rare weather phenomenon in Texas. But in 2017, California also experienced the same event after more than 100 fish dropped from the sky at a school property in Oroville.

In northern Australia, the town of Lajamanu has experienced fish rain at least three times in the past 30 years.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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