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46 • Operation: Monster Storms www.jason.org
Today, however, many scientists believe that these
atypical rains can be explained by more ordinary
­circumstances. They believe a tornado or a waterspout (tornado over water) moves over a body of water
or wetland that is populated by fish, frogs, and other
animals. The whirling winds suck up the unfortunate animals, carrying them aloft. As the tornado
moves, it transports its passengers away from their
habitat. As the tornado dissipates, the winds lack
sufficient energy to keep their living load aloft.
Gravity takes over and the animals fall to Earth,
deposited in a new and often dry environment.
Sometimes, the updrafts are strong enough to
transport the unlucky passengers into the frigid air
of upper altitudes. There, the water content of the
animals freezes, producing rock-hard ­ projectiles.
t. All rights reserv
Definitely improbable. However, there are many
recorded events of all sorts of things raining down
from the sky.
In June of 2005, residents of Odzaci, a town in
Serbia, reported a rainstorm of frogs! According to
witnesses, thousands of these tiny amphibians fell
from the sky. A similar event was reported in 1997 by
a Mexican newspaper. Frogs poured down on the town
of Villa Angel Flores.
Stories such as these aren’t new. In fact, the first
reports of these bizarre downpours were recorded
thousands of years ago. Over the centuries, there have
been all sorts of proposed explanations including religious and supernatural origins for these atypical
weather events.
The JASON Projec
It’s raining frogs and fish.
Impossible, you say?
ed.
!
p
u
Look
Some scientists suggest that these frozen animals get trapped in an
atmospheric cell that is associated with hail formation. Within this
continual up-and-down movement, multiple layers of ice are added,
completely burying the animals in the ­centers of hailstones.
Your Turn
Back in 1921, after examining reports of odd rainstorms, a fish biologist published
a paper entitled “Rains of Fishes.” In it, he offered four possible explanations for
the appearance of fish scattered over the landscape following a rainstorm.
a.The fish had adaptations to slip-and-slide over wet land and therefore
had not fallen from the sky. Instead they were migrating from pond
to pond.
b .Ponds and lakes had overflowed and deposited the fish in the roads.
c.Fish that were buried and in a state of “hibernation” were awakened
by the heavy rainstorms.
d.A tornado, whirlwind, or waterspout had sucked up the animals and
carried them over land. As the winds died down, the transported
animals fell from the sky.
Suppose you arrived at a town in which fish had been discovered
over the landscape following a rainstorm. What happened?
1.Design a strategy for inquiry that would address each of the
above proposed explanations, a–d.
2.Propose additional explanations for this odd discovery. Make
sure to include a strategy for inquiry that would test your
proposed explanation against the facts.
Paul Zahl/NGS. All rights reserved.
Connections: Weird & Wacky Science • 47