/ 7 June 2005

‘Expect windy conditions with intermittent frog showers’

Thousands of tiny frogs rained on a town in north-western Serbia, Belgrade daily Blic reported on Tuesday.

Strong winds brought storm clouds over Odzaci, 120km north-west of Belgrade, on Sunday afternoon, but instead of rain, down came the tiny amphibians, witnesses said.

”I saw countless frogs fall from the sky,” said Odzaci resident Aleksandar Ciric.

The frogs, different from those usually seen in the area, survived the fall and hopped around in search of water.

Belgrade climatologist Slavisa Ignjatovic described the phenomenon as ”not very unusual”.

”A wind resembling a tornado can suck in anything light enough from the surface or shallow water. Usually it’s just dust, but sometimes also larger objects,” Ignjatovic told Blic. – Sapa-DPA