Weirdest Things That Fall from the Sky

Rain, snow, and hail are some of the usual things that we expect to fall from the sky. But meat, spiders, and frozen iguanas? And even gold bars! 

Nope, we’re not straying away from the topic here! These are some strange items that fell from the sky. The metaphorical “Raining cats and dogs” is obviously nothing compared to the following unexpected and unnatural kinds of precipitation.

1) Spiders

a web of baby spiders

Australia is known for its wealth of natural diversity. But it’s also notoriously known as the “Land of Nope” for its various naturally dangerous creatures invading human settlements. They make people’s homes and cars as their hideout. You may have read reports about snakes lurking beneath toilet bowls or ridiculously large spiders hiding in shoes (so always check your shoes when you’re in Australia).

And speaking of spiders – in 2015, Australians witnessed a real-life horror show right before their very eyes – millions of baby spiders raining down from the sky! While this is not surprising, as it was not even the first time it happened, it nevertheless scared a lot of people. One Australian man said that thousands of spiders had fallen on his house that it looked “abandoned” as it was covered by these tiny baby arachnids.

Why did that happen? The reason for this rather fascinating. Baby spiders, wanting to travel to great distances, would climb some high area (such as a very tall tree) and stick their butts up in the air and release their silky threads. Then they take off, gliding away from one place to another. This behavior is known as “ballooning.”

2) Golf balls

a basket of golf balls

You’ve probably heard some cautionary tales about hails the size of golf balls. But what about actual golf balls raining down in your area? That incident exactly happened in Punta Gorda, Florida, in 1969, where dozens of golf balls fell from the sky.

While the whole incident was strange enough, what made it even more mystifying is that none of the local golf courses reported missing or stolen golf clubs!

While the reason was never confirmed, it was widely assumed that a waterspout scooped up all of the balls that had been hit into golf course ponds by errant players.

3) Russian gold bars

a pile of gold bars

It was almost gold rush in Siberia, Russia, in March 2018, when dozens of gold bars fell out of an old cargo plane as it took off. It happened at the Yakutsk airport, where a transport plane was carrying an estimated $378 million worth of gold, platinum, and diamond. As the plane took off, its cargo hatch ripped open, causing dozens of gold bars to fall and scatter onto the runway and nearby snow. 

But unfortunately for the treasure-seekers, airport security sealed off the runway and recovered nearly 200 gold bars scattering on the ground.

4) Frozen iguanas

two iguanas

Iguanas, while they make cute exotic pets, are actually considered an invasive species in Florida, where they like to climb and hang out on trees in suburban residences.

In January 2018, southern Florida residents braced themselves for a powerful cyclonic blizzard. Well, the snowstorm led to a wacky phenomenon – a hailstorm of frozen iguanas! They actually fell out of trees, littering backyards and bicycle paths in Florida.

There is a scientific explanation as to why iguanas “freeze” when temperatures drop. You see, like many other reptiles, iguanas are cold-blooded creatures, which means that their body temperature depends on the weather outside. But when temperatures drop, it puts these animals in a state of sluggishness, causing them to lose their grip on the tree branches. 

But don’t worry – they just remain stock-still, but not dead. Once temperatures warm back up, these iguanas will thaw, wake up, and scurry once again.

5) Chunks of meat

chunks of meat

You’d wish that every day the heavens above will send you down some meat. Well, that happened in Olympian Springs, Kentucky, in 1876, where it was beset by a steady shower of meat chunks, which appeared to be beef, mutton, or venison. 

Two local residents got to taste the mystery meat and claimed that it tasted like either mutton or venison. Though the real cause was not yet known or proven, some experts offer the best possible explanation for this bizarre phenomenon – that a flock of vultures or buzzards was dropping or barfing its latest meal.