Where Frogs, Fish and a Cow Fell From the Sky | The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel

Fish, frogs and other strange debris can be thrown far distances by tornadoes.

ByChris DolceAugust 23, 2013

Horse in a Kitchen

Above: Video of Mike Bettes showing the damage from West Liberty in March 2012.

According to our Severe Weather Expert Dr. Greg Forbes, reports of fish raining from the sky date back to at least 200 BC in Greece. Forbes says that tornadoes and waterspouts are the most likely causes for these ancient reports of fish and other small animals falling from the sky.

However, we don't need to look that far back in the history books for several examples of odd things, including animals, dropping down from above.

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Just last year on March 2, an EF3 tornado caused heavy damage in West Liberty, Ky. As written about in this article from the Red Cross, one family who had the roof torn off their home found their horse in the home's kitchen after emerging from the rubble. The horse was lofted into the air by the tornado and survived the entire journey.

NEXT>> We look at three different types of animals that fell from the sky in one place.


Fish, Frogs and Crayfish

A tornado was likely responsible for the fish, frogs and crayfish that rained down on June 28, 1957 near Thomasville, Ala. Images: iWitness Weather contributors R_Farroll_Photo/shimmmy54

According to Dr. Forbes, on the morning of June 28, 1957, thousands of small fish, frogs and crayfish fell from the sky during a rainstorm at Magnolia Terminal near Thomasville, Ala. Many of the fish were alive and were placed in ponds and swimming pools.

An F2 tornado around 15 miles to the south near Whatley, Ala. was likely responsible for getting those animals airborne. The tornado was spawned by the outer bands of Hurricane Audrey.

More recently, there was a report of crabs falling from the sky in the Lynn Haven, Fla. area on February 11, 2013, according to a post on the Facebook page of WMBB-TV. This followed a waterspout that was reported to southwest near Saint Andrews State Park.

NEXT>> Find out what large animal flew an entire mile.


Cow Hurled a Mile

Visible satellite image of Kentucky and Tennessee on April 16, 1998, when a tornado hit downtown Nashville. Image credit: University of Wisconsin (UW/SSEC/CIMSS)

On April 16, 1998, more than a dozen tornadoes touched down in Tennessee. One of the tornadoes lifted a cow in the air that flew an entire mile, or a distance equivalent to 17-18 football fields long.

This was the same day that an F3 tornado moved through Downtown Nashville, Tenn., striking the State Capitol and the future Tennessee Titans NFL football stadium along with at least 300 other buildings. One man died after being trapped under a fallen tree.

We switch gears from animals to something that most of us sleep on each night for our next odd debris example.

NEXT>>What fell in the Boston Harbor?


Mattress Pieces in the Harbor

The Worcester, Mass. tornado of June 9, 1953 ranks as the seventh worst tornado in history. In all, 4,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Six of the eight Massachusetts towns impacted reported F4 damage.

Debris was swept miles away, including mattress pieces that were hurled so high into the thunderstorm that they became frozen before falling into the Boston Harbor around 35-40 miles away.

If you think that is a long distance, continue reading at this link to find out how far some debris traveled during the April 27, 2011 Superoutbreak.

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