It Really Rains Fish in Honduras & it’s Known as Lluvia de Peces

Fish raining from the sky! Weird as it may sound, but there is a place on Earth where this phenomenon actually exists.

As weird as fish raining from the sky may sound, there is a place on earth where this phenomenon actually really happens.

Residents of Yoro, a town in Honduras experience this at least once or twice a year. What’s odd is the fact that Yoro is actually 43 miles away from the ocean.

This Rain of Fish phenomenon is known as ‘Lluvia de Peces’, in Spanish and it has been taking place in this little town since 1800s during the months of May and June.

In fact, every year, a big storm sweeps through the town, followed by heavy rain, and after the storm passes, the roads are scattered with flapping, live fishes.

The explanation according to science is that the rain of fish phenomenon is meteorological, often speculated to be strong winds or waterspouts, as is commonly proposed when attempting to explain similar occurrences of raining animals.

However, the nearest marine source for the fish is the Atlantic Ocean, which is about 43 miles away, and because of this many believe (including some scientist) that this theory seems unlikely due to the improbability of the preciseness in which fish from the open sea, get picked up twice a year In May and in June, then get dropped exactly in the same town of Yoro every time.

The unscientific expiation is on the side of miracles or folklore. It is the belief of many locals that the ‘lluvia de peces’ event is actually a blessing bestowed upon the people of Yoro by Father Jose Manuel Subirana, a Spanish missionary who visited the area in the 1860s.

The legend has it, as follows: Father Subirana noticed how poor the people of Honduras were and prayed three days and three nights asking God for a miracle to help the poor people and to provide them with food.

After these three days and nights, God took note of this and there came a dark cloud. Many tasty fish fell from the sky, feeding all the people. Since then this miracle has happened every single year.