Have you heard of the phrase ‘raining cats and dogs? Well, this phrase is applicable to a rare rain phenomenon where animals fall from the sky.
Amid heavy rainfall in Telangana, the people of Jagtial town witnessed something unique. People of Sai Nagar in Jagtial town woke up to a surprise on both Friday and Saturday as they found fish ‘rain’ from the sky.
Raining fish is a rare weather phenomenon called as “rain of animals” which happens when small water animals such as frogs, crabs, and small fish are swept into water spouts.
As a warning was issued by the India Meteorological Department, residents in Telangana were bracing up for heavy rain. Several people in the Jagtial town of Telangana were left puzzled as they witnessed fishes raining down the sky this Friday and Saturday. Some even captured the rare natural occurrence in their camera and shared the video on social media, reported to the news agencies. In one such video, uploaded on YouTube, a person can be seen trying to hold a flapping fish that came down along with the rain.
What is the animal rain phenomenon?
The rare animal rain phenomenon occurs when small water animals like crabs, frogs, and fishes are swept into waterspouts and get sucked into the sky. Later, when the waterspout loses power, these creatures end up getting rained down on the land with water, baffling people. Such incidents have been recorded several times in many countries across the globe.
Marine animals like fishes get transported away from their natural habitat due to the weather phenomenon. Now, while the occurrence may be rare, this wasn’t the first time people had witnessed an animal rain.
Last year in October, residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district witnessed the same phenomenon where fishes started to fall from the sky. The marine creatures had accompanied strong winds and heavy rain that lashed the region that day. Small fishes were seen raining near the Kandhiya Gate area of Chauri which left the onlookers fascinated.
The first occurrence of animal rain phenomenon:
The origins of the animal rain phenomenon have evolved infrequently in the years gone by. The occurrence was first reported in the first century AD when the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder documented storms of fish and frogs.
In 2005, northwestern Serbia witnessed thousands of frogs raining down on Odzaci town as strong winds carried the animals. In 2009, tadpoles were reported to be a part of the animal rain phenomenon in Japan. In 2017, students in California were hit by raining fish while they were playing outside during recess.
