Nature & Environment

Grass falls from sky over Gloucestershire

By T.K. Randall
June 25, 2014 ·  11 comments

What causes straw to rain from the sky ? Image Credit: sxc.hu The county had been enjoying a spell of warm weather with a forecast of further sunshine and clear skies ahead, yet despite the perfect conditions residents found themselves being subjected to an unexpected deluge of dry grass and straw that seemed to be appearing out of nowhere above their heads.

The Met Office soon began to receive reports from all across the county about these mysterious downpours as houses, gardens and roads in some areas quickly became strewn with the stuff.Weather experts however were quick to provide a likely explanation for the phenomenon.

"We had a couple of weeks of dry weather across much of the country and that has allowed the ground to dry and warm up, and this weather has been ideal for farmers to cut grass for hay," said a Met Office spokesman.

"This grass has been lifted into the air by some means, possibly by convection, where the ground heats the air above it causing the air to rise and carrying the grass aloft, and it is then carried along by warm thermals."

Source: Gloucestershire Echo | Comments (11)

Tags: Grass, Hay