# How can it be raining worms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190 "2011-04-04T20:53:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190/1 "2011-04-04T20:53:59Z")
[Link:](http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3505394/Theres-a-worm-front-coming-in.html) > [@](#): > > About 100 worms in total fell out of the sky…Showers of worms have previously been reported across the world. In 2007, a woman in Louisiana was hit by a clump of the creatures dropping from the sky. > And other falls have been reported in Sweden and Norway. > David added: "I spoke with the science department but none of them had any explanation for it. > “One of them thought it was maybe a freak weather thing, but it was a clear calm day. And we’re away from any buildings so it’s not like someone could have been throwing them.” I can imagine it raining fish (mini tornado + shoal of fish near the surface) but worms? From the _ground_? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190/2 "2011-04-04T21:14:37Z")
when the ground becomes saturated with water the worms come to the surface. a strong wind might then pick them up.n ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190/3 "2011-04-04T21:19:21Z")
That sounds plausible. Still, why only worms? Why not all the other stuff lying about in a rainstorm? Why wouldn’t it rain leaves, twigs and garbage along with the worms? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190/4 "2011-04-04T21:25:01Z")
frogs too. i would guess that what can get picked up does. it dumps where its aerodynamics and nature of the wind dictate. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190/5 "2011-04-04T21:28:23Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > That sounds plausible. Still, why only worms? Why not all the other stuff lying about in a rainstorm? Why wouldn’t it rain leaves, twigs and garbage along with the worms? There are a bunch of reports of freak rains of various things including snakes, frogs, and nuts among others over the years in many different parts of the world. As far as I know, it is one of the few really strange phenomenon that is considered legitimate and not perfectly understood. > **[Rain of animals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raining_animals)** > > Animal rain is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which flightless animals fall from the sky. Such occurrences have been reported in many countries throughout history, an example being Lluvia de peces, a phenomenon that has occurred many times in Honduras. One hypothesis is that tornadic waterspouts sometimes pick up creatures such as fish or frogs and carry them for up to several miles. However, this aspect of the phenomenon has never been witnessed by scientists. > > Rain of flightless animals... ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-it-be-raining-worms/577190/6 "2011-04-04T21:38:00Z")
I recommend [Charles Fort](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fort)’s [The Book of The Damned](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_book_of_the_damned) to anybody who wants an unscientific but in many way fascinating study into these matters. You might have to do a sanity check,\* though, afterwards. - [RPG Call of Cthulhu reference](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sanity%20check).