Fish literally rain from the sky in an unusual weather event – and there are photos of the fish

It was just another day out in the outback of the Australian town of Lajamanu when fish rain hit on Sunday.

Some locals thought it was normal rain before realizing it was something else, according to Australian ABC News.

“We saw a big storm coming towards my community and we thought it was just rain,” said Japanangka resident Andrew Johnson. “But when it started to rain, we saw the fish also fall.”

Japanangka said the fish were at least “the size of two fingers” and that they were still alive when they hit the ground.

“Some are still hanging around in the community in a pool of water. … Children collect them and keep them in a bottle or a jar,” Japanangka said.

Perhaps even more surprising, this is not the first time the city has experienced this phenomenon.

This happened in 2010, 2004 and 1974, according to ABC.

One woman said she saw fish on the streets of Lajamanu in the mid-1980s.

“I got up in the morning … and the dirty streets near my house were littered with fish,” said Penny McDonald. “They were small fish, and there were a lot of them around. It was just amazing.”

Another Australian city reported a fish falling from the sky in 2020, ABC reports.

Despite occasional occurrences in the past, the strange weather was no less new to the Japanese woman.

“It was the most amazing thing we have ever seen. I think it is a blessing from the Lord,” Japanangka said.

One explanation given by weather experts is that strong updrafts such as tornadoes can suck fish and water out of rivers before dumping them hundreds of miles away.

Australian outback town #lajamanu was shocked when it was raining fish. However, this phenomenon called “animal rain” is real and not a joke. #fish rain #rainfish

— First post (@firstpost) February 23, 2023

There is another possible explanation, according to Michael Hammer, fish curator at the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery.

“Most of the time people come after the rain and see the fish scattered all over the place. And in this case, they basically just broke through with a flood that happened locally, from a small body of water or something.

“But that certainly can’t rule out the possibility that the fish will get caught in a small storm and then washed up elsewhere,” Hammer said.

Hammer added that it is “not uncommon” for live fish to rain from the sky, provided it hasn’t been lifted too high and frozen in the air.

This article originally appeared in The Western Journal.

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