On Sunday, the outback town of Lajamanu, Australia was taken aback by a rather peculiar phenomenon: it began raining fish. Numerous eyewitnesses reported seeing live fish of varying sizes, ranging from tiny fingerlings to ones around “the size of two fingers,” as Andrew Johnson Japanangka described. The children were quick to take action and began collecting these fish in jars and bottles.
This isn’t the first time Lajamanu has seen this occurrence, however. Penny McDonald claims to have witnessed similar events decades ago in the mid-1980s, while records demonstrate similar happenings as early as 1974 and 2004 respectively. Despite its mysterious nature, this strange rain of fish remains a local legend in Lajamanu.
Fish ‘raining’ from the sky is an extraordinary and highly unusual phenomenon, however it is not as rare an occurrence as one might think. In Australia alone, incidents have been reported in both 2020 and 2017. In 2020, a town in Australia reported fish falling from the sky, while in 2017 a small fishing village in India was hit with a sudden shower of fish. Similarly, in 2015 a UK town also experienced this remarkable event.
The Australian outback town of #Lajamanu was shocked when it rained fish. However, this phenomenon called ‘animal rain’ is real and not a joke #fishrain #rainingfish https://t.co/6VTgXSzPuw
— Firstpost (@firstpost) February 23, 2023
Experts theorize that strong updrafts such as tornadoes are capable of picking up fish and water from rivers before depositing them hundreds of miles away. Michael Hammer, Curator of Fishes at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory provides another possible explanation – that the fish could have simply burst through to the surface during local floods caused by overflowing waterholes. He commented that it is “not unusual” for live fish to be lifted up into the air by these powerful winds before raining down again, provided they weren’t raised too high and frozen at their peak altitude.
Though it is certainly strange, a phenomenon like this is not entirely impossible. It is possible for strong weather systems to pick up fish and drop them in other locations. It is also possible for local flood waters to cause fish to burst through and rain down on a town.
No matter the explanation, it is clear that Lajamanu has experienced a unique event. In the words of Japanangka, “It was the most amazing thing we’ve ever seen. I think it’s a blessing from the Lord.”
