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It's Raining Frogs And Fish, Literally!

If only pennies, or even better dollars, really could rain down from heaven! And why not? Very localized downpours of strange objects, like fish, bugs, and frogs have been reported across the globe from Japan to Britain to Iowa. While it sounds unbelievable, there is an explanation for these bizarre events.

Waterspouts And Tornadoes

Many scientists credit waterspouts and tornadoes for these odd occurrences. Both waterspouts and tornadoes are rotating columns of air. Waterspouts usually form over a body of water when the surface temperature is warm.

Tornadoes form over land but can cross ponds and streams. Both generally form beneath rapidly growing storm clouds when there is a significant updraft.

Raining Frogs And Fish

This updraft can draw up objects from the surface of the earth. As waterspouts and tornadoes travel across water, they can draw up whatever unfortunate creatures happen to be near the surface, such as frogs and small fish. These unwilling travelers may be carried miles from their original pond and even freeze in the cold upper reaches of the storm.

Since these small creatures can number in the thousands at certain times of the year, their descent back to earth seems to astonish bystanders. Happily, several accounts of frog showers report that the frogs were unharmed by their adventure.

While there are no accounts of money raining from the sky, hopefuls may want to put out a few buckets when they hear of tornadoes hitting in the area of their local bank.

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