Unexpected objects have occasionally plummeted from the sky, leaving witnesses both bewildered and alarmed. These bizarre incidents range from common weather patterns to extraordinary phenomena, challenging our understanding of nature. The events often evoke a mix of curiosity and fear, as they defy conventional explanations.
Fish, Money, and More: The Unlikely Fall
Animal rain is not just a metaphorical expression. Fish have been reported falling from the sky during specific weather events. Notable occurrences took place in 2021 in Texarkana, Texas, and in 2017 in Tampico, Mexico. These phenomena are believed to result from waterspouts or high winds that lift fish from bodies of water and deposit them inland. A particularly surprising incident occurred in June 2015, when a resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, discovered a 13-inch dogfish shark in her backyard after a thunderstorm, suggesting a bird may have dropped it.
The concept of “raining money” may sound like a fantasy, yet it has, in rare instances, held some truth. In 2018, gold bars rained down in Siberia after a cargo plane lost its load due to a malfunction during takeoff. Approximately nine tons of gold were scattered over an area extending 26 kilometers from Yakutsk airport. Authorities managed to recover around 172 bars, equating to approximately 3.75 tons, yet the total amount recovered remains unknown.
A Spectrum of Strange Precipitation
In addition to fish and money, other unusual entities have made their way to the ground. Spiders exhibit a behavior known as “ballooning,” where they use silk as a means of transportation carried by the wind. In 2021, residents of Gippsland, Australia, returned to find their town covered in spider silk after heavy winds forced the arachnids to flee. This phenomenon is not isolated, as certain rural towns in Brazil witness massive communal webs every year from December to March.
In 2014, villagers in the Zamora province of Spain reported a strange occurrence where red rain fell from the sky, reminiscent of biblical imagery. Investigations revealed that the “blood” was actually caused by an algae, Haematococcus pluvialis, which imparts a red hue when stressed. Similarly, the Malabar Coast of India has experienced red rain attributed to naturally occurring microorganisms.
The phenomenon of worms falling from the sky has also been documented. In 2015, Norway witnessed globs of earthworms raining down, likely swept up by thermals. A similar event occurred in Jennings, Louisiana, in 2007, where worms fell following a waterspout.
In February 2022, a mysterious dark liquid fell over a neighborhood in east Las Vegas for three weeks. Local residents feared it was hazardous, but it was later identified as “bee frass,” a euphemism for bee excrement, which resulted from a massive swarm of bees emerging from hibernation.
One of the most astonishing cases involved a person falling from the sky. On January 26, 1972, Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant, survived a fall from approximately 33,000 feet after her plane exploded over Czechoslovakia. She became the sole survivor of the crash, with experts attributing her survival to the way she was trapped in the wreckage, landing in soft snow.
From Frogs to Meteorites: Nature’s Surprises
The phenomenon of frogs raining down has been recorded throughout history, with instances noted as far back as the first century C.E. Reports of falling frogs have emerged from various locations, including Kansas City in 1873 and Marksville, Louisiana, in 1947. These events are typically connected to waterspouts or tornadoes.
Meteorites also frequently crash to Earth, with thousands entering the atmosphere each year. Notably, the Murchison meteorite, which fell in 1969 in Australia, contained about 8% water and sparked significant scientific interest due to its freshness. More recently, a meteorite shower occurred over Georgia on June 26, 2025, damaging homes but causing no injuries.
Birds have not been exempt from these strange occurrences. In 2022, a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds fell in Chihuahua, Mexico, likely due to power lines or toxic fumes. Similarly, in 2021, hundreds of sparrows died in Bali, Indonesia, from pesticide ingestion.
These incidents, while often unsettling, provide a unique perspective on the unpredictable nature of our environment. They remind us that the sky can sometimes deliver surprises that challenge our understanding and spark our imaginations. Whether it is rain of fish, money, or even frogs, these events continue to captivate and astonish, leaving us to wonder what might next fall from the sky.