Unit 03  It's Raining Frogs

When it rains hard, we say it’s raining cats and dogs. Can it really rain cats and dogs? In Kansas City, it rained frogs yesterday. Hundreds of frogs fell from the sky at around 3 p.m.

Ron and his family were in the car when it happened. Ron said, “Suddenly it got dark, and frogs started to fall from the sky. My sister, Joan, started shouting. We didn’t know what to do, so we just watched.”

Suddenly, there were many frogs on the streets of Kansas City. Some were still trying to go back to the river. Can frogs really fall from the sky? Yes, it can happen when there is a big storm or a tornado. Frogs fell from the skies in England in 1995, and in Greece in 1981 during big storms. Fish and other animals sometimes fall from the sky, too. On December 26, 1877, even baby alligators fell from the sky in a storm in America!

How can this happen? Some tornados suck up water. Since frogs, fish, and other small animals are not very heavy, the tornado may suck them up, too. The tornado may go a long way. When the tornado meets with a storm, it becomes a part of the storm. When the storm dies down, frogs and other animals fall to the ground. Why doesn’t it rain cats and dogs? Maybe it will one day.