# It rains Jello in California? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 9, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717 "2017-01-09T14:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/1 "2017-01-09T14:43:19Z")
The bad news is that the famous “tunnel tree,” the California redwood with the drive through tunnel cut in it (long, long ago, by the way), [has fallen](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-tunnel-tree-falls-california-storms-20170109-story.html). But the Chicago Tribune story claims… > [@](#): > > On Sunday at around 2 p.m., with names carved more than a century ago still prominent on its great trunk, the gargantuan tree fell to the ground after being pummeled by a particularly viscous winter storm. Damn Jello. Gets us all in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/2 "2017-01-09T15:57:38Z")
I don’t see anything in the story that indicates jello was involved. My personal theory was that it was a rogue [molasses flood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood). And the good news is that there are still plenty of magnificent trees left in the Park, and elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/3 "2017-01-09T16:04:34Z")
Forecasters should perhaps add viscosity to winter storm statistics. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/4 "2017-01-09T16:08:45Z")
Someone once told me that the air pollution in California, back when it was really bad, could be “washed out” by rain, which fell as a sticky substance, and that this inspired the Dr. Seuss story _Bartholomew and the oobleck". the Wikipedia page doesn’t confirm this, saying it was inspired by something he overheard in Belgium. Besides, the book came out in 1949, and I don’t think the pollution got that bad by then._ > **[Bartholomew and the Oobleck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_and_the_Oobleck)** > > Bartholomew and the Oobleck is a 1949 book by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel). It follows the adventures of a young boy named Bartholomew Cubbins, who must rescue his kingdom from a sticky green substance called oobleck. The book is a sequel of sorts to The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. Unlike most of Geisel's books, which are written in anapestic tetrameter, Bartholomew and the Oobleck is a prose work, like its predecessor. > Geisel said he drew inspiration for the book from a conversation he overh... In any event, you can easily find references to “sticky rain”. Many are apparently due to insects, although some seem to be truly viscous stuff falling from the sky > **[Mysterious Sticky Black Rain Falls in Michigan](https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/02/mysterious-sticky-black-rain-falls-in-michigan/)** > > If residents of Flint, Michigan, are looking for a place to move to (provided they can sell their lead-tainted houses), they \*Although, IIRC, Philip Jose Farmer describes a similar sticky rain in his novel “Blown”, written in the 1960s ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/5 "2017-01-09T16:20:37Z")
OTOH, the [Chandelier Tree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandelier_Tree) still stands and you can drive your car thru it for $5. Maybe it will take a pudding storm to bring that one down. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/6 "2017-01-09T16:24:41Z")
I’ve walked through that “tunnel” many times. Sad to see it go, but they all fall down eventually. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/7 "2017-01-09T16:26:14Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I don’t see anything in the story that indicates jello was involved. > > My personal theory was that it was a rogue [molasses flood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood). > > And the good news is that there are still plenty of magnificent trees left in the Park, and elsewhere. Those damned molasses floods. And they always seem to come in January, which makes them particularly viscous. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/8 "2017-01-09T16:53:33Z")
Aww that is too bad! Cant see the article…says I need to turn off my ad blocker. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/9 "2017-01-09T17:57:26Z")
> [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > Aww that is too bad! > > Cant see the article…says I need to turn off my ad blocker. Well, turn it off. Or refresh and hit Escape before the nag loads. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/10 "2017-01-09T18:01:49Z")
Investigators found evidence of maple syrup at the scene and suspect it was a tree-on-tree crime. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/11 "2017-01-10T02:00:54Z")
So. Free firewood…? > [@Personal](#): > > Forecasters should perhaps add viscosity to winter storm statistics. I thought that was only in The Quaker State. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/12 "2017-01-10T17:44:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Investigators found evidence of maple syrup at the scene and suspect it was a tree-on-tree crime. Those saps. The evidence was…[sunglasses]PLANTED. YEAAAAAHHH! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/13 "2017-01-11T13:14:43Z")
[music]_It don’t rain in California But , girl, don’t they warn ya It pours… Man, it pours_ [/music] **Jello** ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/14 "2017-01-11T14:57:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > [music]_It don’t rain in California > But , girl, don’t they warn ya > It pours… > Man, it pours_ [/music] > **Jello** …45 played at 33-1/3 for maximum effect. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/15 "2017-01-11T15:23:11Z")
They say it Jello rains in Southern California Though I’ve never seen that kind of glop before. It Jello rains in California, Girl, don’t they warn ya. Jiggly pours, out of doors. I see **CalMeacham** beat me to it but I’ve got it stuck in my head so I’m inflicting it on the rest of you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/16 "2017-01-11T16:06:30Z")
Cost me a little over $1000 to find out my Honda Ridgeline would not fit through a drive-thru tree. Scraped up my right front fender pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/17 "2017-01-11T16:32:38Z")
“Hello, Insuranceco? I need to file an accident claim.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Valued Customer. What was the nature of the accident?” “I tried to drive through a tree.” “…huh?” ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/18 "2017-01-11T18:04:56Z")
To be pedantic, jello is not a viscous liquid. Once it’s set, it’s a solid (albeit a very elastic one). Because it doesn’t flow, it keeps its shape on its own. A viscous substance would be something that flows slowly, like molasses. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/19 "2017-01-11T18:08:12Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > To be pedantic, jello is not a viscous liquid. Once it’s set, it’s a solid (albeit a very elastic one). Because it doesn’t flow, it keeps its shape on its own. A viscous substance would be something that flows slowly, like molasses. I know. I chose it for the silly factor. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717/20 "2017-01-11T18:36:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > To be pedantic, jello is not a viscous liquid. Once it’s set, it’s a solid (albeit a very elastic one). Because it doesn’t flow, it keeps its shape on its own. A viscous substance would be something that flows slowly, like molasses. It depends upon how much water you add, and what temperature it’s at. As someone who made and worn makeup “appliances” out of (unflavored) gelatin, I can categorically state that they appear wiggly but solid at first, even more solid than normal Jello (because you use less water), but that after an entire evening on your face, especially in a hot room, it definitely becomes a viscous liquid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-rains-jello-in-california/776717.md?page=2)