Is It Possible To Rain Frogs?

Story Published: Mar 13, 2008 at 1:13 PM PDT

Story Updated: Mar 13, 2008 at 1:13 PM PDT

By Steve Pool

SEATTLE - We talked in yesterday's column about the origin of the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs," which really didn't have origins in actual falling cats and dogs.

However, did you know there have been documented cases where it has rained frogs? And fish?

How? Waterspouts. Waterspouts are basically tornadoes that occur over bodies of water. Just like a tornado can pull up dirt and debris, a waterspout can suck up tremendous amounts of water -- including anything that's in the water -- into the air and deposit it several miles away.

Waterspouts are generally weaker than tornadoes, but can be very dangerous to any boaters or fishermen who end up in its path.

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