Strange phenomenon: Snow rollers spotted in England

Amidst heavy snow blanketing parts of the country, rare snow rollers have been spotted in Brampton, Cumbria.

Snow rollers are little curls of snow which form naturally. Depending on how far they’ve rolled, they can measure anything from a few centimetres across to more than half a metre!

Snow rollers are relatively rare because they need quite specific conditions to form. Initially there must be a light dusting of snow on top of an icy snow layer. There also needs to be a smooth area with no obstacles or vegetation, ideally on a hill.

Then, in order to get the rolls started, the winds must be fairly strong, around 30mph, and the top layer of snow needs to be just above freezing.

This will allow the snow to be pushed into strange shapes, but won’t make the snow completely melt. If you manage to have exactly the right conditions, then these strange snow shapes form.