Raining Fish - 60km inland in the Philippines

[03Stormchaser]

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/philippi ... s-1.965683

[RODALCO]

That looks like the work of a water spout coming ashore , becoming a landspout for a while and running out off puff and dropping all these fish out of the sky.

[tgsnoopy]

If that really happened in this day and age I'd expect a photo from a camera in a cellphone at a minimum, so where is the photographic proof? Sorry, but I have difficulty believing fish could be dumped that far inland & still be alive.

Just being the devil's advocate here.

[03Stormchaser]

Cant find any photos but it's not hard to believe as it's happened before round the world

[Tornado Tim]

Yes, there has also been incidents where heaps of apples were dumped 100ks away from where a tornado went through an apple grove.

In this case, I think this was due to a tornado over water and not a waterspout, a waterspout is actually quite weak and for it to suck up quite a bit of fish and the water with it means the upward motion in the vortex must have been strong.

If the mid level wind flows were fairly brisk, I wouldn't be surprised to see a storm drop fish 60ks away inland.

I was watching a doco a while ago where they looked at the interesting weather phenomena associated with tornadoes:
They showed a picture of a hailstone with frog inside, really amazing!

[tgsnoopy]

Yes, but this one claims the fish were still alive.

[Nev]

This report has a little more info.

The fish have been identified as 3-inch-long mudfish, which is a freshwater fish abundant in the province. Loreto is also a relatively small '3rd-class' river town (probably not too many cellphones ).

[Tornado Tim]

Yes, but this one claims the fish were still alive.

That is also well known too that fish can actually live in the cloud and just be suspended by the updraft, I had my suspicions about it but seems if the fish has essentials for life up in the cloud for a bit why not.....

I guess it really depends on how much water is in the cloud (where they are suspended) and the mixing ratio between air and water to keep them alive.

[tgsnoopy]

That is also well known too that fish can actually live in the cloud and just be suspended by the updraft

You said it, can you back that up with documented evidence?

I dunno, at altitude such as in clouds the temperature is significantly lower. If a couple of kilometres I could give it the benefit of doubt, but not 60km inland. Dead fish falling, yes I can beleive, but living fish, that far inland, sorry, I'm not buying it.

[Manukau heads obs]

maybe they froze, preserving them...suspended animation....LOL

[iomkiwi]

But if the fish are local freshwater fish they didn't travel 60km inland. It could have been a short ride.

[Tornado Tim]

That is also well known too that fish can actually live in the cloud and just be suspended by the updraft

You said it, can you back that up with documented evidence?

There have been other documented cases where the fish were still alive when they hit ground, obviously the cloud does have the essentials of life so the fish can temporarily live up there.
Here is 1, I am sure I could find more.....
Case 1: NT News

[Nev]

Brian Dunning of Skeptoid.com puts the kibosh on the waterspout theory and offers a very plausible alternative explanation...

'It's Raining Frogs and Fish'

[Tornado Tim]

I cant believe that explanation, especially in that Lajamanu case that I posted above.

Its around 130K from what I can see from the nearest lake where the fish could be, and to think Fish (well that fish that is pictured in the NT News article) could "walk" that distance and not die b4 hand isnt plausible.

[tgsnoopy]

FYI - NT News definitely is not what one can consider a reputable source.

I'm still sitting on the fence unconvinced

[Nev]

I think Lajamanu's former name, 'Hooker Creek', might offer one clue as to the origin of those fish. Although Hooker Creek has been known to dry up, it can also severely flood during the monsoon season, as was the case during the aforementioned event. Lajamanu recorded over 220mm during the last 6 days of Feb, 2010.

Below is another, perhaps slightly more balanced, report from NT News about that event...

'Raining fish theories up the creek as reports flood in'

Also see: Habitat of the Spangled Perch.