'2021 is pulling out all the tricks': Fish rain from the sky in rare phenomenon in Texas

As 2021 comes to a close, a city in Texas had one last unexpected event: raining fish.

Residents in Texarkana, almost 200 miles from Dallas, saw fish fall from the sky and land in their yards or sidewalks, KXXV reported.

"2021 is pulling out all the tricks … including raining fish in Texarkana today. And no, this isn’t a joke," the city of Texarkana wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.

The city said raining fish is a phenomenon called "animal rain" that happens when small water animals such as frogs, crabs or small fish are swept into waterspouts.

James Audirsch told WCIA he was working at a used car dealership when he heard loud noises outside.

“There was a loud crack of thunder, and when we opened up the bay door, I looked outside and it was raining real hard and a fish hit the ground," he told the outlet.

Related video: Hypnotizing 'fish tornado' swirls undersea near Japan

Another person posted a video on Twitter captioned, "Yep. It rained fish at my house too."

This isn't the first time fish fell from the sky. In 2017, teachers and students at an elementary school in Oroville, California, reported seeing 100 fish land on the school's playground and roof, according to KTVU .

"While it’s uncommon, it happens, as evidenced in several places in Texarkana today," the city wrote in the Facebook post. "And please, for the sake of everyone, let’s tiptoe into 2022 as quietly as possible."

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fish rain from the sky during storm in eastern Texas