James Audirsch and Brad Pratt, both used car salesmen in Eastern Texas, experienced a rare phenomenon of raining fish recently that they will likely tell around the campfire for years to come.
KTAL in Shreveport, Louisiana, reported the two men were at work at the Orr Maxx car lot in Texarkana, Texas, near closing time on December 29 when fish started falling from the sky.
The two heard loud noises while in the lot’s office, and Audirsch investigated.
“There was a loud crack of thunder, and when we opened up the bay door, I looked outside de, and it was raining real hard, and a fish hit the ground,” Audirsch told the news station. “And then I said, ‘It’s raining fish!’ Brad was like, ‘No, it’s not,’ and I’m like, ‘No, it really is!’ and fish were dropping here, and everywhere.”
They say they saw small fish scattered throughout the dealership’s parking lot, the shop across the street, and the tire shop next door. Some of the fish were 4-5 inches long and looked like young white bass.
According to National Geographic, “fish rain” occurs when small animals are swept up in waterspouts, which form when storm clouds swirl to create a tornado-like column of moving, cloud-filled wind over a body of water. Waterspouts can form over various surfaces, including ponds, lakes, and oceans.
The Library of Congress explains “raining fish” is thought to result from a rare meteorological phenomenon in which a moving water spout picks up small animals like fish and frogs and carries them along until they run out of steam before dropping their stunned passengers. Tornadoes and hurricanes can produce strong winds that can rain small species from the sky.
