Fish rained from the sky in a Texas town
Dec 30, 2021, 9:05 AM
Photo of one of the fish that rained down on a Texas town. Photo: City of Texarkana, Texas
TEXARKANA, Texas — The metaphor “raining cats and dogs” took on a whole new meaning in a Texas town. For several minutes on Wednesday afternoon it “rained fish.”
According to KTAL, the fish rainstorm arrived around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 29. James Audirsch and Brad Pratt work at Orr Maxx, a used car dealership in eastern Texas. They reportedly heard a loud crack. When they peered outside, they saw fish raining down over the parking lot.
Photos from the aftermath showed Audirsch and Pratt posing next to the fish from the sky. The fish ranged in size from 4 to 5 inches long.
According to National Geographic, “animal rain” is a real thing. Wednesday’s fish storm can be explained by a certain meteorological phenomenon in which small animals are swept up in a waterspout or updraft. Then, the small animals, fish, snakes, birds, even bats, come back down to earth with the rain.
The City of Texarkana referenced the phenomenon in a Facebook post. The post read, “2021 is pulling out all the tricks… including raining fish in Texarkana today. And no, this isn’t a joke.”
The comments on the Facebook post are filled with anecdotes from Texarkana locals who witnessed the strange rain. People posted photos of their fish sightings and mentioned places across the town that where the fish rained down. Some commenters described having anywhere from 20-30 of the fish in their yards alone.
The City of Texarkana left the public with one note, “And please, for the sake of everyone, let’s tiptoe into 2022 as quietly as possible.”
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