A 'School of Fish' Rained Down from the Sky... Flapping on the Ground, a Bizarre Phenomenon in Australia

At Least Four Fish Rains in the Past 30 Years
Storms Seem to Bring Them from Rivers 500km Away

In a remote town in northern Australia, a weather anomaly occurred where hundreds of fish fell from the sky like rain. It is the first time in 13 years that fish rain has occurred in this town, drawing urgent attention from meteorologists.

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According to the Daily Mail and others on the 23rd (local time), residents of the small town of Rajamanu near the Tanamai Desert in northern Australia were shocked on the 19th. Hundreds of fish poured down from the sky along with the rain.

Andrew Johnson Zapanangka, a city councilor in the area, explained the situation at the time, saying, "I saw a big storm heading toward our town. I thought it was rain, but when it started raining, fish fell along with it."

Residents who witnessed the scene told Australian broadcaster ABC that fish suddenly fell from the sky onto the ground and roofs, and many of them were still alive, wriggling on the ground. They expressed amazement, saying, "Fish fell from the sky."

Councilor Zapanangka said, "The fish fell freely to the ground, and some landed on roofs. Children are picking up the fish and storing them in bottles or jars."

Carried by Strong Storm, Flew from a River 500km Away

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The fish were identified as spangled perch, a freshwater fish commonly found in Australia, which flew from a river about 500 km away. Meteorologists estimate that a strong storm sucked the fish up to tens of thousands of meters into the air, briefly froze them, and then dropped them to the ground.

This is not the first time fish rain has occurred in this town. Such phenomena have happened at least four times in the past 30 years. The most recent fish rain before this was in March 2010.

Similar phenomena have been observed in other regions as well. In 2020, fish rain occurred in Yowa, Queensland, located 950 km west of Brisbane.

Michael Hammer, a fish curator who has investigated similar past phenomena, said, "Most sightings occurred when localized flooding happened in small puddles. It is quite fascinating to think about what kind of force is needed to lift fish from the water into the air."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.