The Truth About "Stone Rain" in Romania

The claim of "stone rain" largely stems from a viral video that circulated in 2019. The claim that there was a "stone rain" in Romania is false. 

This video, which has been viewed over a million times on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook .. etc showed what was actually a hailstorm in Zalau, Romania. The hailstones were unusually large, leading some to mistakenly believe they were stones falling from the sky. However, this was not a rain of stones but an extreme hailstorm.

The event was misinterpreted or exaggerated into a narrative of "stone rain," which is not a real phenomenon. The term "stone rain" does not refer to actual stones falling from the sky but rather to the appearance of these large hailstones which, due to their size and the way they were filmed, could be mistaken for stones.

The term "stone rain" is sometimes used to refer to a type of hailstorm that produces large, golf ball-sized or even larger hailstones. However, these hailstones are still made of ice, not stone.

There are some natural phenomena that can look like stones raining from the sky, such as mudslides or landslides. However, these events are not caused by rain, and they do not involve actual stones.

The Truth About "Stone Rain" in Romania
A screenshot from the video

While not related to the "stone rain" myth, Romania is home to a fascinating geological feature known as Trovants. These are not stones that fall from the sky but are sandstone concretions that have a unique ability to grow and, in a way, "move" due to geological processes.

Trovants absorb rainwater, which leads to a chemical reaction causing them to expand from the inside out, giving the appearance of growth. This natural phenomenon might contribute to local myths about living or moving stones, though it's entirely different from the "stone rain" narrative.

Here are some additional details that you may find helpful:

  • The video of the hailstorm was originally shared on Facebook on May 28, 2019.
  • The video was filmed by Răzvan Botăreanu, a photographer from Zalau.
  • The video has been viewed over 1 million times on Facebook.
  • The video has been shared in multiple languages, including English, Chinese, and Spanish.
  • There is no evidence that the video has been edited or altered in any way.

See also: The Mysterious Living Stones of Romania: They Grow and Move

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