Check out the pictures on the left. They're pictures of "snow rollers." The first image is courtesy the Brown family in Hardwick, Vermont which was sent into us on Sunday. There were dozens of reports of this happening around the region.
So what is a snow roller?
- Packed area of snow rolled into place and shape from wind
- Requires a unique amount of moisture, wind, and snow to form
- Form on down slopes or on flat surfaces with the help of wind
- Roll in a round shape until they reach a flat surface or the wind can't move them
- Vary in size from a tennis ball and up to two to four feet in diameter!
The bottom two images are from Idaho, from the National Weather Service in Spokane, Washington. They were taken by Tim Tevebaugh where conditions were just right to create one to two foot snow rollers!
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/otx/photo_gallery/snow_rollers.php
Well what were the conditions on Sunday?
CITY
|
8AM TEMP
|
2PM TEMP
|
6PM TEMP
|
WINDS
|
RELATIVE HUMIDITY DURATION
|
Burlington
|
40 F
|
35 F
|
27 F
|
20-30 mph gust 41
|
> 70% 2 hrs, then drier
|
Montpelier
|
45 F
|
33 F
|
25 F
|
20-40 mph gust 43
|
>70% 3 hrs, then drier
|
It was an interesting day because the region started very warm and then cooled through the day. Winds were very strong at 20-40 mph and gusting to 50 mph in spots.
I think the humidity, winds, and rain/snow mix in the morning was just the right environment to create these snow rollers. Certainly it is a cool site to see. I hope you saw them. I didn't get to in person, but am glad for social media let me say!
-Meteorologist Steve Glazier
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