Rain and hail are predictable enough, but history is full of days when bizarre things suddenly plummeted from the sky with absolutely no warning. These moments prompt people to point at the sky, trying to figure out how fish, cash, or even frozen iguanas managed to take the express route downward. Here are 10 of the strangest things ever reported to fall from above.
Blood Rain
Credit: iStockphoto
People in Zamora, Spain, were alarmed in 2014 when rainwater turned a deep red, resembling blood, as it hit the ground. Scientists identified the pigment as the result of microalgae spores carried long distances by wind. The species wasn’t native to the area, which added to the confusion; however, the spores tinted the clouds just enough to create blood-colored rain.
Frozen Iguanas
Credit: Reddit
Florida residents woke up in 2018 to stiff iguanas scattered across lawns and sidewalks. A cold snap from a bomb cyclone shut down the animals’ muscles, and the reptiles simply dropped out of trees. Wildlife experts explained that the iguanas weren’t dead. Their bodies had temporarily stalled, and once temperatures rose, the lizards warmed up and carried on as if nothing had happened.
Russian Gold
Credit: Canva
Travelers near Yakutsk Airport in 2018 looked up to see gold bars falling from a cargo plane. A hatch tore open as the aircraft took off, and bars worth millions fell across more than 16 miles of ground. Authorities recovered most of the treasure, but the idea of gold literally raining down made international headlines.
Coffee Additives
Credit: Getty Images
Chester, South Carolina, dealt with a strange mess in 1969 when powdered nondairy creamer fell from the sky after escaping from a Cremora factory during a rainstorm. Clogged vents allow fine particles to escape, where rain carries them onto cars and storefronts. The company paid a $4,000 fine in 1991 for allowing the powder to escape.
Worms
Credit: Getty Images
People in Norway in 2015 noticed worms sitting on fresh snow even though there hadn’t been a recent thaw. Researchers suggested that warm air currents pulled the worms off the ground and carried them until the air cooled, causing them to drop. A similar incident occurred in Louisiana in 2007, when a waterspout blasted worms into the air during a storm.
Spiders
Credit: iStockphoto
A “spider rain” sounds like a prank, but it actually happened in Australia in 2015. Strong conditions caused large groups of spiders to release silk threads and float through the air in a mass ballooning event. Brazil experienced a similar situation in 2019 when clusters of spiders hung from communal webs high above rural areas. The creatures weren’t falling because of storms. They were relocating.
Meat
Credit: iStockphoto
Residents of Olympian Springs, Kentucky, reported flakes of raw meat hitting the ground in 1876. A chemistry professor later suggested that vultures had vomited pieces of their latest meal while flying overhead, a behavior the birds use to lighten their load. The theory made the most sense, especially since two curious locals sampled the mystery meat and said it tasted like mutton or venison.
Golf Balls
Credit: pexels
Residents of Punta Gorda, Florida, were baffled in 1969 when dozens of golf balls suddenly hit their streets and yards during a rainstorm. No one reported missing balls from local courses, and investigators couldn’t track a clear source. The leading theory suggested that a waterspout formed over a nearby bay, scooping up stray balls from the seabed, and then dropping them once the storm weakened.
Fish
Credit: Getty Images
Communities around the world have reported fish showers, including in Mexico, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Waterspouts can pull fish upward from lakes or coastal waters, carry them inland, and drop them once the swirling wind weakens. In Honduras, the town of Yoro celebrates an annual fish rain called “lluvia de peces” as a local tradition.
Money
Credit: Getty Images
Cash has fallen from the sky in several places, including Kuwait City in 2015, when thousands of dollars in UAE dirhams drifted through the air. In 2017, Indianapolis saw around $200 in bills swirling off a roof, and in 2018, Serbia saw gold and diamonds spill from a cargo plane. Sometimes the source is obvious, and sometimes it stays a mystery.