Fish falling from the sky in Texas wasn't signalling epochal event
The incident in Texas is commonly referred to as "animal rain" -- a phenomenon that occurs when tiny aquatic animals are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth. Eventually they fall from the sky at the same time as the rain.
Texas is accustomed to seeing deluges every so often, but the city of Texarkana saw something else fall from the sky other than water recently -- scores of small fish.
Residents of the Texas city were caught off guard after spotting little fish falling from the sky in what may have appeared to some as a sign of an impending cataclysmic event.
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However, the most likely reason behind the fish drop wasn't so sinister. The fish, many of which were palm-sized, were believed to be sucked up by a waterspout and plummeted back down to earth as the funnel weakened, the city told residents in a Facebook post.
It described the incident as "animal rain" -- a phenomenon that occurs when tiny aquatic animals are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth. Eventually they fall from the sky at the same time as the rain.
The city noted that while it’s uncommon, animal rain happens, as seen in several locales on a day at the end of December.
Some of the residents were puzzled by the event. Speaking with CNN affiliate KSLA, Tim Brigham thought it was "pretty cool" to see small fish falling from the sky and practical, too. He told the media outlet that he "started to get me a bucket and pick them up for fishing bait." Staff from a local auto shop cleaned up its parking lot's unexpected fishy platter.
(City of Texarkana, Texas)
Meanwhile, other residents dispensed photos of their backyard discoveries after the city's asked them to "show us your fishy pics" in its Facebook post. Most that were displayed were smaller than the palm of the photographer's hand.
According to National Geographic, updrafts are more intense than waterspouts and can collect animals bigger than small fish, including birds, bats, frogs and snakes.
What's noteworthy about Texarkana's animal rain is that it may be one of the only documented instances of the phenomenon in the state. In other states, California last reported an animal rain event in 2017, when elementary school officials in Oroville had reported that 100 fish dropped from the sky onto school property.
Thumbnail courtesy of City of Texarkana, Texas.
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