Texas is accustomed to seeing deluges every so often, but the city of Texarkana saw something else fall from the sky other than water recently — scores of small fish.

Residents of the Texas city were caught off guard after spotting little fish falling from the sky in what may have appeared to some as a sign of an impending cataclysmic event

However, the most likely reason behind the fish drop wasn’t so sinister. The fish, many of which were palm-sized, were believed to be sucked up by a waterspout and plummeted back down to earth as the funnel weakened, the city told residents in a Facebook post.

 

 

It described the incident as “animal rain” — a phenomenon that occurs when tiny aquatic animals are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth. Eventually they fall from the sky at the same time as the rain.

The city noted that while it’s uncommon, animal rain happens, as seen in several locales on a day at the end of December.