Last weekend, a (literal) rain of fish surprised the inhabitants of Yasuj, Iran, causing - in addition to the astonishment - constraints on the city's normal traffic.

This phenomenon is called "animal rain" and can occur in various ways.

As El Mundo explains, animal rain can occur when fish or other animals are sucked out of rivers or lakes, dragged into the clouds and then fall as precipitation.

Viral video: Fish rain in Iran; social media stunned by rare phenomenon
Unusual fish rain phenomenon in Iran caused by waterspouts was recorded during heavy rains. Videos of live fish falling from the sky went viral on social media, showing the rare occurrence.
mintArshdeep kaur

In addition, during storms and tornadoes, when wind speeds are very high, fish can be pulled out of the water and trapped in these systems. There are cases in which the animals are transported long distances and then deposited as rain.

In this case, it was a waterspout - which, as Paulo Pinto from the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) explained to Público, is "a meteorological phenomenon that consists of a whirlwind, often violent".

Fish Rain in Iran: Rare Phenomenon Has an Explanation
 
Notícias ao MinutoNotícias ao Minuto

It wasn't the first time that such a phenomenon had occurred. In 2022, ZAP reported on an "unusual shower of fish" in Texas in the United States.

It rained fish over a Texas town this week in a bizarre weather event | CNN
Earlier this week, residents of Texarkana reported small fish falling from the sky. The swimmers were likely picked up by a waterspout and dropped back down to earth as it lost momentum, the city told residents in a Facebook post.
CNNScottie Andrew

El Mundo reveals that there is a very specific part of the world where this phenomenon is recurrent. In the town of Yoro in Honduras, during storms in May and June, it is very common for fish to be swept away and then return to earth in the form of rain.

But it's not just fish. In 1877, according to the same newspaper, there was a rain of snakes in Memphis, USA.