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The Curious Phenomenom of Ice Balls and Snow Rollers. Freddy Storm 07/2011. ICE BALLS. This freak of nature occurs after heavy snow falls along the shores of large lakes and oceans. The snow is turned into ice by the motion of the waves, creating huge frozen ice balls.
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The Curious Phenomenom of Ice Balls and Snow Rollers Freddy Storm 07/2011
This freak of nature occurs after heavy snow falls along the shores of large lakes and oceans. The snow is turned into ice by the motion of the waves, creating huge frozen ice balls.
Thousands of balls of ice the size of a football huddle along the shore in a wonderful show. For this to happen, the water temperature should be 0° C, a phenomenon known as "Lolly" by the fishermen of the Canadian Island of Cape Breton.
A curious meteorological phenomenon of cylindrical snow formations known as SNOW ROLLERS is rare because precise conditions must be present for their formation.
-The frozen surface or ice covered area should glide with ease to make a roller.-The ice must be covered with a 2 cm moist layer of thick powder snow and the temperature must be close to the point where ice melts.
-The air temperature must be equal to or slightly above freezing, between 0 and 1° C.-The wind must be approximately 40 km / hour to roll the snow.
-Agust of wind takes the snow along like a spoonful of ice cream. Each gust of wind increases its size.
The size of the cylinders may reach several centimeters and one roller had a diameter of 70 cm.
Finally, when the roll is too heavy to be pushed by the wind or comes against an obstacle, it stops, leaving a trail behind.
Gravity also forms snow rollers. The snow falls from a tree on a slope and rolls down, forming a sphere.