Last Saturday, an unusual phenomenon was recorded, to say the least. The inhabitants of Yasuj, in Iran, were surprised by hundreds of fish falling from the sky, the The world.
Videos circulate on social media in which locals pick up fish in shock and the theories, usually alarmist, that try to justify the phenomenon increase. But science explains.
https://twitter.com/MeteoredPT/status/1787860743523610997
Precipitation is a natural phenomenon that occurs when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses and, consequently, precipitates. Although living beings do not liquefy, “more extreme phenomena, such as strong winds or tornadoes, can produce very strong upward movements, strong enough to lift small animals” and then make them fall elsewhere. This is how Paulo Pinto, who works at the Meteorological Forecast and Surveillance Division of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), explained the phenomenon to PÚBLICO for a article about animal rains.
This time, a waterspout was to blame, according to IPMA, “a meteorological phenomenon that consists of a whirlwind of wind, often violent”.
Although rare, this is not the first time this phenomenon has been seen. In February 2023, an Australian city filled with fish on the road. And, in 2007, it was the turn of frogs in Alicante, Spain. Canaries in the USA in 1968 and crabs in Australia ten years later. In the book, It’s raining fish and spiders (2012), author and meteorologist Bill Evans also expands the possibilities “to worms, squid and even alligators”.
