Place Feature

Raining fish?! Whatever next? A plague of frogs or locusts perhaps? Or maybe the River Teme will run red with blood?

Anyway, the shower of fish in August 2004 was witnessed by members of a local writers' group. Member Kevin Kell described to BBC Radio Shropshire what he saw.

Mr Kell described how he was on his way to the meeting at the social room in St Edward's Close, Knighton, at about 2.45pm on Wednesday, 18th August 2004.

Raining fish

There had been a thunderstorm and a heavy shower just before he left his home, but on arriving at the meeting he was surprised to see other group members standing around, looking at the pavement.

Each wore a confused expression, and as Mr Kell approached he saw why.

"There were at least a dozen small fish - like minnows - lying dead on the pavement," he told BBC Radio Shropshire's Shropshire Tonight programme.

"We were just puzzled, really."

Yet in an even more bizarre development, some of the fish were still showing signs of life when they first landed, Mr Kell said.

However, those looking for a mystery (or miracle) of fish falling from the sky are likely to be disappointed to learn that there is a rational explanation for it.

Well, sort of.

Bob Rickard is founding editor of the Fortean Times, the journal of strange phenomena worldwide. He says that fish falling with rain, although unusual, happens quite often.

He said: "Fish have been observed to be sucked up from the sea by tornados, but it usually only happens within a few miles of the coast."

So fish falling in Knighton - a good 50 miles from the nearest piece of coastline - is rare indeed.

The Met. Office says these occurrences are not as uncommon as they may sound. In fact they are reported quite often.

What's next, three-headed frogs?

Other than rain itself, fish are the most common thing reported falling from the sky, but rains of frogs, tomatoes and even lumps of coal have been known to fall, too.

Apparently, given strong enough winds, such as found in the thunderstorms that lashed Shropshire on the day the fish fell, small whirlwinds and mini-tornadoes may form.

And when they travel over water they can pick up small objects, such as fish and frogs and carry them for a distance of a few miles.

But when the clouds open, the fish, frogs etcetera fall along with the rain.