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In August 2000, a man from Great Yarmouth discovered that it was raining fish in his back garden! There are also recorded incidents of raining tadpoles and even instant mashed potato (!) - so what has caused such weird happenings? |
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Tornadoes! Every year, all over the world, tornadoes hit towns and villages, destroying property, injuring and killing people, and causing billions of pounds worth of damage. |
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Tornadoes are circular currents of air. On the outside, the air moves fairly slowly. But on the inside, the air moves much much faster! |
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The air on the inside of a tornado can travel at over 100 miles per hour - and that's where the damage comes from. |
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The air in a tornado isn't just moving in a circular direction. It's also travelling upwards. Check out this tornado simulator! |
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The smoke in the box is stationary, but when a large fan at the top is turned on, the smoke moves upwards! Air can only enter the box from the sides and so the air is given a twist - so producing a tornado! |
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But what has that got to do with flying fish or instant mashed potato? Well, tornadoes don't stand still. They race across the country causing mayhem - sucking up everything in their path. One tornado managed to carry a sign 30 miles before dropping it! |
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So if a tornado passes over a mass of water, it'll pick up fish and tadpoles. And if it goes over a mashed potato factory, it'll probably pick up some instant mashed potato too! |
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When a tornado wears itself out, everything it carries falls down to the ground and that's why it can sometimes rain unusual objects. |
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