Texas is a part of the United States that is unlike any other. Especially when you know that it rains animals.
Texarkana is not as well known as Dallas, Houston or San Antonio, but the small Texas town still has its fair share of extraordinary things. In fact, in this little mess of 36,000 inhabitants all in northeast Texas, things are usually fairly quiet. As the end of the year approached, the children were no doubt expecting to see reindeer in the sky, pulling a sled and its huge basket. It is a completely different spectacle which is offered to them, fishes fallen from the sky.
This extraordinary phenomenon, however, has a completely rational scientific explanation, although it is difficult to believe when you find yourself with a fish on the corner of your nose. Indeed, the scientific community has given the name of “animal rains” to this phenomenon, why make it complicated when you can make it simple after all.
Somewhat special weather reports
Rather rare in Europe, these phenomena are ultimately rather common in the United States, a country heavily affected by downpours. These strange manifestations of nature make the water rise like a cyclone, then the waterspout stops as soon as it hits the sand of a beach. Although already very impressive in itself, these phenomena can have consequences for marine species living peacefully on the passage of a waterspout.
Indeed, the latter can be blown away by the waterspout before flying in the air. Once “stuck” in the sky, the animals will fall with the rain. Obviously this phenomenon only occurs for small species, the weight of which is a few grams. An event finally quite well known by the scientific world.
A phenomenon that is nothing recent
Indeed, from the beginning of the 1800s, the French Ampère, known for his work around electricity had already studied the subject and understood the importance of downpours as well as updrafts that can send animals like small fish miles from the coast.
Although rather rare, these “animal rains” can occur elsewhere in the world. In 1894 the city of Bath in the United Kingdom recorded a rain of jellyfish. In Australia, spider rains are quite common because of their migration process. We therefore understand much better the English expression “It’s raining cats and dogs”.
