One of the strangest reports of mystery rain was the rain of living snakes that fell over the southern part of Memphis, Tennessee in 1877. These creatures reportedly ranged from about a foot to 18 inches in length and were presumed by the people of Memphis to have been swept into the air by a hurricane. Although even Scientific American asked where so many snakes would exist "in such abundance" (they fell by the thousands) "is yet a mystery."
In August 1870, a deluge of “water lizards” hit Sacramento, California. The small animals were from two to eight inches long and alive when they hit the ground. The initial shower rained the lizards down so that they nearly covered the roof of the opera house. They slid down the building and into the rain spouts so that they covered the pavement around the building. The Sacramento Reporter stated that hundreds of them survived for several days in rainwater that flooded a partially dug cellar that was located nearby.
|
