14 DAY TRIAL // A community in the Chilaw district of western Sri Lanka were startled when a downpour of small fish began falling from the sky on Monday.
The bizarre meteorological phenomenon took place during a storm, and villagers say that scores of fish, measuring between three and five inches (5 to 8cm) long, were left behind on roads, grass and roofs after the unusual event.
Around 110 pounds (50 kg) of small fish rained down from the heavens, residents say. Given that fish is a valued commodity in Sri Lanka and many of the fish were still alive and edible, villagers rushed to gather them off the streets. They preserved them in water and consumed them later on.
Although the phenomenon sounds like something out of a horror movie, scientists believe that the fish were carried away from a river during a strong wind and then plummeted back down to the ground.
Reports say this isn't the first time such incidents have occurred in Sri Lanka, as in 2012, people living in the south of the country experienced something similar when prawns rained down from the sky.
And various similar occurrences have been reported in many countries throughout history. Scientists say that one hypothesis to explain such rainfalls of creatures, like fish, frogs or birds, is that strong swirling whirlwinds form over shallow waters and pick up almost any kind of small creatures in the water coming in their way.
Steve Cleaton, forecaster at BBC Weather Centre, explained, as quoted by the International Business Times, “In the Sri Lankan storm, a tornado probably formed over land, drifted over river systems or coastal waters and sucked up light fish that were lifted all the way into the base of the storm cloud. Later the fish were rained out of the cloud.”
These waterspouts or mini-tornados have the ability to transport small animals to relatively high altitudes, carrying them over large distances. Later on, the clouds formed from the water drop these animals along with the rain, bewildering the population. They normally form in areas where huge differences in temperature and humidity tend to occur.
However, this explanation has yet to be proved, and it can't account for all of the documented incidents. For instance, in 1956, a couple from Chilatchee, Alabama claimed they watched a small dark cloud form in an otherwise clear sky, and when it was overhead, catfish, bass and bream began falling over them, all fish alive. The dark cloud allegedly turned to white, then dispersed.