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Snowing spiders? The building rainy pattern in Australia can trigger a flood of arachnids

Sheet-web weavers create massive “mega-webs” after flooding

In this frame grab taken from video on Sept. 18, 2018, a view of spider webs over bushes, in Aitoliko, Greece. Spurred into overdrive by an explosion in the populations of insects they eat, thousands of little spiders in the western Greek town have shrouded coastal trees, bushes and low vegetation in thick webs. The sticky white lines extend for a few hundred meters (yards) along the shoreline of Aitoliko, built on an artificial island in a salt lagoon near Missolonghi, 250 kilometers (150 miles) west of Athens. (Giannis Giannakopoulos via AP) (Associated Press)

Austrailia – When there’s a cold blast in Florida, reports of raining iguanas start coming in from Miami as the reptiles go into suspended animation and fall from the trees.

That is quite the sight, but picture this — millions of tiny spiders raining from the sky.

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While it can sound like something out of a horror movie, in Australia the transition from late summer to fall can trigger what is known to the locals as spider season. It’s kind of like our lovebug or mosquito season but is a little different.

Raindrops on ground. (Pexels)

Despite the well-known drought that often plagues Australia, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, the land down under started 2022 entirely drought-free following record rainfall in November.

AP Images

The massive continent does have a wet season falling from November to April, but Autumn which is March through May typically receives the most rain. For example, Sydney averages a little over five inches of rain a month during this time.

Flooding can trigger thousands of sheet-web weaver or money spiders to balloon from the ground to the sky often resembling snow to locals. The spiders balloon silk from their spinneret glands on their abdomen, which allows these arachnids to flee an area where they would die from the flooding rain. Wait, there’s more.

Once the spiders take flight, they have to find a new home, right? Sometimes they end up in human homes crawling through tiny crevices seeking shelter.

Spiders in Australia are seeking refuge after floods ravaged the New South Wales area. (Melanie Williams/Facebook)

If that doesn’t sound appealing to you or the spider, there’s another more favorable option. They build a new home and oh what a web they weave.

Days after a flooding rain event, locals step outside and see what looks like snow draped on trees, poles, and even tall grasses. It’s actually spiderwebs and they can be quite large. Many residents have shared pictures of gossamer webs resembling sheets blowing in the wind. The webs can even blanket the ground for miles looking like snow along countryside roads. They’re not called sheet-web weavers for nothing.

Thousands of spider webs stretch across fields of grass at sunset on a farm in Nugee in the Victorian High Country, 147 kilometers (91 miles) southeast of Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, May 8, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (Associated Press)

While these tiny spiders are no threat to people, there are over 2,000 species worldwide. The spider snow event doesn’t just happen in Australia. Greece has seen their fair share of web art and it’s even happened right here in the United States.

In this frame grab taken from video on Sept. 18, 2018, a view of spider webs covering bushes, in Aitoliko, Greece. Spurred into overdrive by an explosion in the populations of insects they eat, thousands of little spiders in the western Greek town have shrouded coastal trees, bushes and low vegetation in thick webs. The sticky white lines extend for a few hundred meters (yards) along the shoreline of Aitoliko, built on an artificial island in a salt lagoon near Missolonghi, 250 kilometers (150 miles) west of Athens. (Giannis Giannakopoulos via AP) (Associated Press)

Magnificent mega-webs have been spotted in Texas tree tops following heavy rain events. While the webs look, terrifying keep in mind these tiny arachnids mean no harm and are actually quite beneficial preying on bugs like grasshoppers, beetles and flies.

Visitors walk up to trees covered with different species of spider webs that has emerged at Lakeside Park South, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015, in Rowlett, Texas. Officials with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service say that the spiders are basically harmless and there's no need to do anything, other than to just appreciate the communal nest. The sprawling spider web at the Dallas-area park has attracted thousands of insects and the attention of people curious about arachnids. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (Associated Press)

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