Frogs On the Wing

[Solomon Zorn]

Source: http://www.foilhatninja.com/its-raining-frogs-hallelujah/

How often does this happen?

On August 2, 1889, frogs fell on Savoy, France according to L’Astronomie. August of 1894: a rain of frogs was reported in Wigan, England. A few days later, there was another mysterious downpour in England, this time in Bath. It was a slimy substance later identified as frog spawn. 1804, Toulouse, France: Frogs fell from the sky according to a Professor Pontus. On July 30, 1838, there was a rain of frogs in London. May of 1981: the London Sunday Express reports that frogs, thousands of them, fell on Nafplio, Greece. They were alive and hopping. It must have been quite a trip â€" at least 400 miles. They were identified as a species native to North Africa. July 22, 1979: Soviet Weekly says that there was a frog shower that fell on Dargan-Ata in Soviet Turkmeni. They were also apparently none the worse for wear. They were hopping around as well. Village of Lalain, France: in 1794, small toads poured down along with rain on soldiers at a nearby army base. September 5, 1922: the London Daily News reported that small toads fell on Chalon-sur-Saone, France for two days. June 7, 2005: According to the Belgrade Blic (a newspaper), thousands of tiny frogs fell on Odzaci in northwestern Serbia. May 21, 1921: the London Evening Standard reported that thousands of frogs fell on Gibraltar. They were all alive and hopping about “in an agitated state.”

Robert Anton Wilson, whose book The New Inquisition was a source for much of this material, suggested that we all might hop around in an agitated state if we were to arrive in Gibraltar in this fashion. Hey, any landing that you can hop away from. The Standard also reported that this had happened in Gibraltar before, just seven years earlier in 1914.

Yes, two of those cases were actually toads, not frogs, but let’s not split hares. There’s been enough carnage already. Besides, toads are a type of frog. I did not know that a week ago. Look it up if you don’t believe me.

But those were all in foreign countries. We Americans all know how gullible and unreliable “those people” are. If this is real, why doesn’t it ever happen here?

Monthly Weather Review reported in July of 1882 that on June 16, ice and frogs fell on Dubuque, Iowa. (Forget the frogs. Ice in June?) Scientific American: a rain of frogs fell on Kansas City in July of 1873 during a storm. July 11, 1864: Frogs embedded in ice fell on Pontiac, Canada. September 7, 1953: a downpour of frogs and toads “of all descriptions” falling from the sky over Leicester, Massachusetts. July, 1901, Minneapolis: a deluge of frogs described as “a huge green mass” falling from the sky. It was so heavy that travel was made impossible. Wagons trying to navigate their way through the mess were getting stuck in slippery piles of frog meat.

Okay, I made that last part up. Nobody slipped in frog meat as far as I know. And one of those was in Canada, not the U.S. But we can trust our friendly neighbors to the north, can’t we?

What have frogs done to deserve this? Why does this only happen to them?

Bournemouth, England, 1948: a rain of herring fell on a golf course. 2002: Great Yarmouth, England experienced a downpour of tiny silver fish, all dead, but still fresh. June 1901: hundreds of catfish, trout and perch fell during a heavy rain at Tiller’s Ferry, South Carolina. Ipswich, Australia, 1989: hundreds of sardines fell in a small area during a light rain. October 23, 1947, Marksville, Louisiana: largemouth bass, sunfish, shad and minnows fell during calm weather. Some were frozen; others merely cold. Singapore, February, 1861: fish fell in various locations around the city. Chilatchee Park, Alabama, 1956: a couple watched as a dark cloud formed overhead, then dumped a load of rain, catfish, bass and bream â€" all of them alive, except the rain, of course. May 6, 2014: according to the BBC, a rain of small fish (3-5”) fell on a village in the Chilaw region of Sri Lanka. The villagers considered it a blessing and had themselves a giant fish fry…or however they cook fish there. 2010: over 500 fish fell on the town of Lajamanu in the Australian Outback in less than 20 minutes. Some were still alive, but others “exploded” on impact.

Reminds me of the Plagues of Egypt.

[doorknob]

I'd like an explanation not just a report.

[stromboli]

Read a book in my youth called "Stranger Than Science" that had a bunch of weird/miraculous accounts, many of whom I later learned were bogus. Turns out flying fish/frogs etc. aren't that uncommon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_of_animals

Raining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which flightless animals fall from the sky. Such occurrences have been reported in many countries throughout history.[1] One hypothesis is that tornadic waterspouts sometimes pick up creatures such as fish or frogs, and carry them for up to several miles.[1][2] However, this aspect of the phenomenon has never been witnessed by scientists.[3]

The English language idiom "It is raining cats and dogs" (referring to a heavy downpour) is of uncertain etymology; there is no evidence that it has any connection to the "raining animals" phenomenon.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/rain-frog.htm

You might hear a report of raining frogs -- and other unexpected objects, some not even organic -- at least once a decade or so. Amphibious rain seems to be picking up in frequency. In the last 20 years, newspapers have found more opportunities than ever to write about frogs falling from the sky. For unknown reasons, Britain appears to be especially susceptible in recent years. The cause of frog rain in general is less mysterious, although still a bit of a brow-furrower at times. It's also just as gross as many of us imagine. That final scene in the 1999 film "Magnolia," which left most movie goers jaw-droppingly disgusted and a little impressed, is apparently a pretty accurate portrayal of the phenomenon, according to newspaper accounts.

I don't think anyone has specific evidence or a specific answer, but water spouts make sense.

[Solomon Zorn]

I'd like an explanation not just a report.

God likes to fuck with frogs minds. Or maybe he just hates Sesame Street.

[stromboli]

Don't feel bad. Beats Sharknado.