The weather in Texarkana, which stretches through Texas and Arkansas, on Wednesday was stormy with a chance of falling fish.
Two storms blew through the region and after they dissipated, residents in both states found the ground was littered with dead fish.
According The City of Texarkana, Texas, this phenomenon is referred to as ‘animal rain’ and occurs when small water animals are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth.
‘2021 is pulling out all the tricks… including raining fish in Texarkana today,’ the city shared in a Facebook post. ‘And no, this isn’t a joke.’
Two storms blew through the region and after they dissipated, residents in both states found the ground was littered with dead fish
James Audirsch told WCIA he was working at a used car dealership on the Texas side when he heard loud noises outside.
‘There was a loud crack of thunder and when we opened up the bay door, I looked outside and it was raining real hard and a fish hit the ground,’ he told the outlet.
Another person posted a video on Twitter captioned, ‘Yep. It rained fish at my house too.’
Several other residents also shared images and videos online showing small, dead fish on the ground – some by the dozens.
Another person posted a video on Twitter captioned, ‘Yep. It rained fish at my house too.’ Several other residents also shared images and videos online showing small, dead fish on the ground – some by the dozens
According The City of Texarkana, Texas, this phenomenon is referred to as ‘animal rain’ and occurs when small water animals are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth
Some were four to five inches long and appeared to be young white bass.
At the Tiger Stadium, where the soccer team was practicing, one player kicked up a fish that was lying near the side lines.
National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Chatelian told the Gazette: ‘They are picked up with the wind and come down like any debris does. They could have been picked up somewhere like Lake Texoma. They could have come from anywhere.’
He adds: ‘And whatever goes up, must come down.’
This has occurred with other small water animals including frogs and crabs.
This phenomenon does not just happen in the US, as it was raining fish in Australia just last year.
Farmers in the rural town of Yowah, west of Brisbane in Queensland, found fish flapping around in puddles after Tropical Cyclone Esther hit the area on February 24.
Rick Shiells, who runs the Yowah Caravan Park, said he noticed both dead and alive fish scattered around his property after the heavy downpour.
‘As I’m walking along I saw a little fish, about an inch long, swimming in the puddle. I thought, ”geez, that’s unusual”,’ he told the ABC.
Some were four to five inches long and appeared to be young white bass
Farmers in the rural town of Yowah, west of Brisbane in Queensland, found fish flapping around in puddles after Tropical Cyclone Esther hit the area on February 24
‘There’s no way it could have come out of the water – it’s obviously come from the sky.’
Queensland Museum ichthyologist Jeff Johnson said the fish found by Shiells was a spangled perch, a common freshwater species.
Johnson said the ‘rains of fishes’ is a regular occurrence in inland Australia.
‘They have an incredible urge to disperse when the rains come. They’ll even swim for kilometers up water-filled wheel tracks,’ he said.
