Every few months it's not usual to come across a story in the news about rainstorms which cause frogs, fish, snakes, and other animals to fall from the sky. Those of a particularly religious bent may interpret these freak storms as some kind of divine omen, or perhaps a Biblical prophecy, while others doubt the veracity of these news reports and write them off as hogwash. However, these types of storms do occur, and they have been taking place for as long as man has had the means to record history.
Surprisingly, science has been able to explain this phenomenon for quite some time. Here's the explanation.
For a storm to cause a downpour of critters, a few things must take place. First, there must be what meteorologists call a "waterspout", which is a tornado that forms over water, rather than on land. Waterspouts are relatively common, and are the result of a high-pressure weather system before a thunderstorm. Waterspouts are similar to regular cyclones in the se…
Surprisingly, science has been able to explain this phenomenon for quite some time. Here's the explanation.
For a storm to cause a downpour of critters, a few things must take place. First, there must be what meteorologists call a "waterspout", which is a tornado that forms over water, rather than on land. Waterspouts are relatively common, and are the result of a high-pressure weather system before a thunderstorm. Waterspouts are similar to regular cyclones in the se…