You may have heard a tale or two about fish falling from the sky, but the phenomenon is super unusual to see in action. Some Texarkana residents caught an eyeful just prior to New Year’s Eve after a storm passed through town, raining small fish on local streets. Is it a lucky omen? We’re not sure, but if you’re looking for bait all you’d need is a net—or maybe a baseball glove.
Fish Rain from the Sky in Northeast Texas
It’s not your everyday opening to a news story: “It’s raining fish in Texas,” the WEHT/WTVW Eyewitness News anchor says over footage of fish flopping on the pavement. He explains that the strange scene is caused by a “rare weather phenomenon in which a waterspout moving over water sucks up small creatures like fish and frogs.” As the spout moves, it takes the creatures along with it and drops them after losing strength over land.
What was it like to witness such a thing? As the anchor says, “one person said he heard loud noises and looked outside only to see fish falling from the sky.” James Audirsch, the man in question, recalls the incident in his own words:
“There was a loud crack of thunder and we opened up the bay door. I looked outside and it was raining real hard and a fish hit the ground. And I said, ‘It’s raining fish!’”
Real Fish-Out-Of-Water Situations
Other instances of fish precipitation are rare, but not unheard of. One well-documented case comes from Northern Mexico in 2017, while a town in Honduras is said to rain silver sardines every year during late spring or summer storms. Another famous case goes back all the way to Rhode Island in 1900.
Have you ever witnessed fish, frogs or other aquatic creatures raining from the sky? If so, did they make good bait?
