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We all know the saying, “It’s raining cats and dogs,” and we can all imagine that cats and dogs, in fact, never rain. But frogs (not to mention toads, fish, worms, and jellyfish) have them, and this phenomenon is not so rare as you might think.
The first record of frog rain comes from the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who documented it in the first century AD. And in the centuries since, many events have been observed all over the world, from Serbia to Dubuque, Iowa.
Most scientists seem to think that the current theory to explain the rain of frogs is very simple. Frogs actually weigh very little (usually just a few ounces) and so can be sucked in by a powerful spout of water and held until the pressure drops, releasing rain (and frogs). So the next time you’re tempted to say “It’s raining cats and dogs,” try “It’s raining fish and frogs” as a more likely alternative to meteorology.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather, the environment, and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of its parent company, IBM.
