Rain summary

Today we have weather satellites orbiting our planet so we can figure out when it’ll rain. When it does, we’ve got waterproof jackets to keep us dry. Of course, observing and sheltering from the weather was much harder in centuries past!

Weather predictions, however, are no new invention. The Ancient Greeks gave us the earliest recorded attempts at the scientific study of rainfall. In his scientific treatise Meteorologica, Aristotle portrayed rainfall as one element of a sun-driven cycle that also determined the behavior of air, land and sea. Today, scientists consider sun, sea, wind and terrain as the main factors behind weather. Aristotle wasn’t far off at all.

During the 1870s and 1880s, the dry, deserted regions of Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas were subject to some very curious weather. Rain increased, grass grew and soil became fertile. Farmers began to move further west as a result. Luckily for these homesteaders, the rains followed suit.

The further the farmers traveled, the better the conditions seemed to be. Rain was said to be “following the plow” and these ambitious farmers were thrilled. But not for long.

Which country has the most authors in the world? And which city has one of the highest average cloud coverages and chances of rain? Iceland and its capital, Reykjavik. Is there a connection?

Well, it’s not impossible! Rain is a common source of inspiration for popular musicians, artists, writers and filmmakers. Just think of Morrissey, lead singer of The Smiths, who spent his teenage years in rainy Manchester. He declared that “teenage depression was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Who’s to say that the gloomy weather didn’t have a hand in it?

On June 12, 1954, Sylvia Mowday experienced something startling. She had been caught in a rainstorm while walking through a park north of Birmingham, England. This was no ordinary rainstorm, however. Thousands of frogs were pelting down from the sky. Meteorological myth? Let’s look at the evidence.

Episodes of raining frogs, toads and fish have all been described throughout history. From Ancient Greek literature to medieval chronicles, to accounts from French soldiers fighting Austrian troops in 1794, strange rains have bewildered people time and time again.