On a day-to-day basis, the weather doesn’t always rouse fascination. However, on occasions, it does unexpected things. Discover four of the world’s strangest weather phenomena here.
Yoro, Honduras – A strange phenomenon happens once or twice a year in the small town of Yoro, Honduras. Usually taking place between May and June, a large storm hits the town, causing torrential rain. Once the storm passes, a trail of small fish are found flapping about on the ground. This event was once witnessed by a National Geographic team in the 1970s, although whether the fish actually fell from the sky remains uncertain.
It is thought that large rainstorms can flood rivers, forcing the fish out of their homes and once the flooding passes, a sea of fish is left lying on the ground.
Cherrapunji, India – Located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, India, Cherrapunji holds the record of being the wettest place in the world. The average yearly rainfall amounts to around 450 inches, although in 1860, 905.5 inches of rain fell in one year, earning them a Guinness World Records title.
Cherrapunji, India
The explanation of this phenomenon is quite complex, but to put it simply, monsoon clouds originating from the Bay of Bengal travel hundreds of kilometres over flat land to reach Cherrapunji. They are then faced with the steep rise of the Khasi Hills but in order to rise above the hills, the clouds have to get rid of most of the moisture they’re carrying in the form of rain.
The inhabitants of this area have developed many very clever ways of coping with this extreme rainfall. One of the ingenious methods involves directing the roots of trees to grow over rivers, forming natural bridges.
The Cumberland Falls, USA – Cumberland Falls situated in Kentucky, USA, is one of the very few places in the world where we can see the rare phenomenon of ‘moonbows’. Moonbows are lunar rainbows which occur during clear nights, usually when there is a full moon and there are very few places in the world where moonbows can be seen on a regular basis.
Relampago Del Catatumbo, Venezuela – The Catatumbo River situated in Venezuela is home to a surprising weather phenomenon which occurs between 140 to 160 nights per year. For up to 10 hours a time, constant lightning occurs with as many as 280 strikes per hour! The lightning can be seen from up to 400 km away and due to its regular occurrence, it is used as a navigation aid by ships.
Relampago Del Catatumbo, Venezuela
It is thought that this weather phenomenon occurs due to ionised methane gas rising from the bogs of the Catatumbo and coming into contact with storm clouds from the Andes creating ideal conditions for a lightning storm.
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(Featured Image: Mike)
