Why Is It Raining Iguanas In Florida? It’s 2022, That’s Why!

You’ve heard of it raining cats and dogs, but raining iguanas?

That’s exactly what happened in St. Petersburg, Florida, when a cold snap interrupted some iguanas who were just looking to enjoy Florida’s rumored sunny weather.

According to AP News, the weather was so cold in Florida that iguanas were literally falling from the trees. Near freezing temperatures did damage to some citrus, tomato, and strawberry crops, but farmers sprayed most of their plants with water to protect them from the cold before any real damage could be done.

Iguanas are actually an invasive species, although they’ve grown pretty accustomed to living in the trees of South Florida. Although those up North think that 40 degree weather is perfectly acceptable weather, it is way too cold for iguanas. If the weather drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit – or about 4 degrees Celsius – iguanas actually go into suspended animation in order to try to preserve their body temperature. When this happens, they fall to the ground. Thus, it’s raining iguanas.

Fortunately, the iguanas are not actually dead. When the weather warms up, they usually perk up and scuttle back to the safety of the trees.

Unfortunately for iguanas, though, the National Weather Service has reported some historic low temperatures for the supposed Sunshine State. West Palm Beach, Florida, recorded temperatures of 37 degree Fahrenheit – or about 3 degrees Celsius – which made it the coldest morning in the past twelve years. In Vero Beach, along the East Coast, it tied a record low of 30 degrees Fahrenheit (or about -1 degrees Celsius), which was set back in 1978.

Still, iguanas falling from the sky isn’t the strangest weather pattern we’ve ever heard of. Just a few weeks ago, it was raining… fish?

As The Blast previously reported, residents in Texarkana, Texas, located about 200 miles from Dallas in east Texas, got the shock of their lives when they saw fish falling from the sky as they landed on lawns, streets, and businesses.

Many residents took to social media to post pictures and videos of the phenomenon, which is also known as “animal rain.” The City of Texarkana, Texas, took to Facebook in order to explain the phenomenon to its concerned residents.

The City of Texarkana took to Facebook to make it clear that fish were really raining from the sky, and “no, this isn’t a joke.”

“2021 is pulling out all the tricks… including raining fish in Texarkana today,” the statement began. “And no, this isn’t a joke.”

“Animal rain is a phenomenon that occurs when small water animals like frogs, crabs, and small fish are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth,” they continued. “They are then rained down at the same time as the rain.”

“While it’s uncommon, it happens, as evidenced in several places in Texarkana today,” they added. “So, show us your fishy pics! And please, for the sake of everyone, let’s tiptoe into 2022 as quietly as possible.”

One resident named Mike Siefert actually posted a photo of him holding up a giant fish that he caught before it hit the ground. Another resident, Matthew Jones, posted a photo of a large fish that he said hit him in the head while he was walking his dog in the rain.

“So…. Sharknado ISN’T as ridiculous as I thought,” another commented.

“There are probably a lot of happy stray cats,” another joked.

“I wish it would occasionally rain money, is that a thing?” another asked. “Why can’t money-rain be a phenomenon? Come on, 2022, let’s see what it can do!”

“If it ever starts raining salmon, we’re in big trouble,” another joked.

“I guess that is better than cats and dogs,” another commented.

“People thought I was crazy about 20 years ago when I told them it rained frogs at my hog farm,” another added. “I stood there dumbfounded looking at my concrete walkways being covered as they were falling. I was wondering if the world was coming to an end.”

“When I was a little girl, it rained baby frogs,” another added. “I caught a whole bunch of them in a 5 gallon bucket.”

“It did that on our farm near Paul’s Valley when I was a small kid about 1951,” another shared. “There were craw dads and lil minnows about 50 years from one of our tanks as they were called back then… it really does happen.”

This phenomenon is actually more common than one might expect. In 2017, local station KTVU reported that residents in Oroville, California, saw over 100 fish rain down on an elementary school’s playground and roof.