Incredible Rare Snow Roller Was Just Spotted in Southeast Minnesota
They don't happen very often but a rare 'snow roller' was just spotted along a highway here in southeast Minnesota.
One of the great things about living here in Minnesota is that we get to experience all four of Mother Nature's seasons-- sometimes all in the same day, even-- and all the natural phenomena that come with them.
We know all about rain, sleet, and snow, right? But have you ever heard of a snow roller? According to the National Weather Service:
Snow rollers are a meteorological phenomenon in which cylindrical snowballs are formed naturally as chunks of snow roll downhill or are blown along the ground by wind, picking up further snow along the way, in much the same way that the large snowballs used in snowmen are made.
National Geographic says snow rollers are also sometimes known as "snow bales," "wind snowballs," or "snow donuts," and are essentially the cold-weather equivalent of tumbleweeds, because they form when wind pushes snow across the ground, gathering it into a hollow cylinder.
Conditions have to but JUST right for a snow roller to form, both sites said, which is why when former ABC 6 Meteorologist Cindy Morgan saw one along Highway-30 here in southeast Minnesota recently, she had to pull over to get a closer look. She posted the way-cool pictures on her Facebook page on Monday (Feb 28) and also explained how this one likely formed.
So, here's one for your You Learn Something New Everyday file: A genuine Minnesota snow roller. Have you ever seen one in person? I haven't. It looks pretty cool! Although, not everyone thinks that winter is all that cool. Keep scrolling to check out some things about our cold-weather season that aren't our favorites here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
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