From fire devils to water devils: 8 weirdest weather phenomena

England: The heat wave being enjoyed across the UK might not be the only tropical weather heading our way - as these past events prove.

Most of Britain was basking in sunshine, but if you lived on the south coast yesterday you'd have been forgiven for thinking it was the middle of winter.

The recent heatwave sparked a series of freak storms, which brought lightning, hail and flash floods to towns like Brighton, Hove and Worthing.

One street was left looking like a Christmas snow scene as huge hailstones drifted in the road.

But if you think yesterday was a freak of nature, check out these other examples of the world's weirdest weather phenomena.

Raining fish and frogs

The sky may not rain cats and dogs, but it has been known to rain frogs, fish and other animals. Tornadoes and waterspouts are thought to suck the creatures up before 'raining' them down again.

In 1957 at Magnolia Terminal near Thomasville, Alabama, USA, thousands of small fish, frogs and crayfish fell from the sky during a rainstorm. Many of the fish were still alive and placed in ponds and swimming pools. Last year it rained crabs in Florida and frogs in Hungary, and Los Angeles had a shower of worms in 2007.

Red Sprites

Pilots have reported seeing colored flashes of light shooting from the tops of storm clouds for years, but the existence of this strange lightning wasn’t confirmed until 1989. Red sprites are blasts of red light that can soar up to 60 miles from the top of a cloud during a thunderstorm.

They usually correspond with positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning and last for only a few seconds. Blue jets are similar to red sprites, but they’re negatively charged and appear as cones of blue light that occur lower in the atmosphere

St Elmo’s Fire

You may know the 1985 film starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, but did you know it took its name from a static electric weather phenomenon?

It occurs during thunderstorms and streams up tall objects. The fire is named after St Erasmus of Formiae, the patron saint of sailors, because it often occurs on ships — sailors have reported balls of fire dancing on ships and climbing their ships' masts.

Red Rain

Coloured rain has been falling on the planet for centuries, and it can occur in a variety of hues — from reds and yellows to blacks and milky whites.

In 2001, there were reports of scarlet, green, brown, yellow and black rain in south India. Scientists determined that airborne spores from algae caused these rains, but a variety of substances can create strange-colored rain.

Fire Devils

A fire whirl, also known as a fire tornado or fire devil, is a rare phenomenon in which a tornado-like vortex of flames is formed – either when a tornado spins too close to a forest fire or when a heavy concentration of heat is generated in a small area.

Like tornadoes, fire whirls vary in size and duration but usually last no more than a few minutes. In 1923, a fire whirl emerged during Japan's Great Kanto Earthquake and killed 38,000 people.

Hail and Hearty

Exceptionally large hailstones, sometimes called ice bombs, can fall from the sky during severe thunderstorms and shatter into smaller pieces when they hit the ground. One ice bomb was found to weigh 80lbs.

The largest hailstone ever to fall in the USA was found in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010, and was 8 inches in diameter and weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces.

Ball lightning

Stories of ball lightning — balls of light that occasionally float through the air during thunderstorms — date back centuries.

These glowing spheres range in size from golf balls to footballs and emit no heat and little sound. Scientific data is scarce because they are so rare but lab experiments have produced effects that are visually similar to the floating orbs of electricity sometimes seen in nature.

Water Devils

Waterspouts, or water devils, are tornadoes over water that are usually formed by developing rain clouds. This phenomenon is common in tropical areas where thunderstorms occur frequently, such as around the Florida Keys.

Although they happen over water, waterspouts don’t actually suck up water — droplets formed by condensation create the water seen in the funnel cloud.

These water tornadoes sometimes make hissing or bubbling noises, and that combined with their long, neck-like appearance might explain sightings of monsters like the Loch Ness monster.