Fish Actually Rained From the Sky in Mexico’s Coastal City

We’re all familiar with the expression “raining cats and dogs,” though we don’t take it literally. We also fantasize about “sharknados” being a real thing, but we definitely don’t want this to happen either. Not only are these things scary, they’re also too good to be true.

Apparently, though, “fishanados” seem to be a real thing. And this actually happened in the very heart of Mexico’s coastal city. Before you utter disbelief, stay within the article and read through.

As per the statement from the Associated Press, the civil defense officials on the northeast side of Mexico confirmed a “light rain” that introduced various small fish from the sky. And believe it or not, this actually happened recently. The coastal city of Tampico will now forever be known as a place where a “fishnado” took place.

Pictures of fish brought by the rain reached various social media sites. While there are several images and videos showcasing this bizarre phenomenon, the story is still quite hard to verify. Some believe it could be a prank by some rather bored officials from the civil defense.

There are people who think this entire “fishnado” thing is a joke.

Interestingly, science can wholly suggest that this kind of thing is perfectly plausible.

Out on the sea – most especially on huge lakes – there are things called waterspouts. These are basically very powerful whirling columns of air, water vapor, and mist. Although they’re a bit smaller tornadoes, they still come with all the whistles and bells one can expect. To put it simply, they come with strong winds, thunderstorms, sea surges, and a good amount of rain.

Whenever waterspouts are formed, their energetic cyclonic nature has the potential to suck up heavier objects – yes, even fish – from the body of water beneath them. So perhaps, in one way or another, the Mexican fish rain phenomenon is somewhat true.

Waterspouts are so strong that even the heaviest objects beneath them are overwhelmed.

Keep in mind, too, that waterspouts are capable of sucking a wide range of living creatures. Take for example this “cownado” in Kansas which can be seen in the embedded video below.

Yup, that’s a cow right there.

Over the course of years, there have been tons of frognado reports, too. And in fact, the first phenomenon dates back to the third century. It was Athenaues of Naucratis (a well-known wordsmith during his heyday) who included a passage of this peculiar event.

He was quoted saying,

In the Chersonesus [an Ancient Greek colony] it once rained fish uninterruptedly for three days. People had often seen it raining fish, and often also raining wheat, and that the same thing had happened with respect to frogs.”

Athenaues added that the rain – with so many frogs in it – was so bad that houses and roads were packed with these creatures. At first, the residents were keen to “endure the pest.” But as they grew in numbers, they started to boil and roast them to death. Unfortunately, the phenomenon proved to be worse and thus the residents decided to “fled the country.” So if I were a Mexican, I’d hope this “fishnado” event won’t become worse.

Check out the “fishnado” video below: