Rare weather phenomenon causes delicate 'snow rollers' to form naturally in Scottish field

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
<em>Snow rollers are a rare weather phenomenon consisting of naturally-made snowballs (SWNS)</em>
Snow rollers are a rare weather phenomenon consisting of naturally-made snowballs (SWNS)

Hundreds of naturally-made snowballs popped up in a field in Scotland this week, the result of a rare weather phenomenon.

The natural snow sculptures roll up in the style of a tumbleweed or a hay bale and leave a trail behind them showing how they were made.

And despite their sturdy look, they are extremely delicate and crumble completely at the slightest touch.

<em>The mounds of snow are actually delicate and crumble completely at the slightest touch (SWNS)</em>
The mounds of snow are actually delicate and crumble completely at the slightest touch (SWNS)
<em>A field full of the unusual snow rollers was discovered in Glassford, South Lanarkshire, on Tuesday (SWNS)</em>
A field full of the unusual snow rollers was discovered in Glassford, South Lanarkshire, on Tuesday (SWNS)

Snow rollers can only be formed when the snow is cold but not frozen and the wind is strong enough to move snow but not break it.

A field full of the unusual snow rollers was discovered in Glassford, South Lanarkshire, by Eunice Clarke on Tuesday.

The 55-year-old part-time nurse could not believe that she saw so many up close.

MOST POPULAR ON YAHOO UK TODAY

Woman, 20, raped and murdered by ‘obsessed’ uncle who padlocked her body in a freezer
Sweden distributes 4.7 million leaflets on how to prepare for war with Russia
Italian aristocrat riding illegal ‘fixie’ bicycle with no front brakes crushed to death by lorry
Selfie on Facebook helps convict woman who was WEARING the weapon she killed her friend with
Who is the porn star who claims she had sex with Donald Trump four months after Melania gave birth?

She said: “We’d been snowed in all morning and we’d taken the dogs across the field and my husband eventually managed to get the car out onto the main road.

“He rang me to tell me about something interesting looking in the field near our house.

“I finished walking the dogs then went down for a wander and I couldn’t believe it.

<em>Snow rollers are formed when the snow is cold but not frozen and the wind is strong enough to move snow but not break it (SWNS)</em>
Snow rollers are formed when the snow is cold but not frozen and the wind is strong enough to move snow but not break it (SWNS)

“They just looked like miniature hay bales but made of snow.

“There’s hundreds of them and you can see straight through them, some were really big and they were everywhere.

“But when I touched them, they were very soft and immediately fell to pieces.”

<em>The natural sculptures roll up in the style of a tumbleweed or a hay bale and leave a trail behind them (SWNS)</em>
The natural sculptures roll up in the style of a tumbleweed or a hay bale and leave a trail behind them (SWNS)

She added: “You could tell where it had happened because you could see the lines in the field — as if someone was rolling snow all the way down to make them.

“They had all these trails at the back of them. I was stopping people walking their dog so that they could join me in having a look at them.

“I follow weather things online but had only ever seen them in USA. I couldn’t believe it.”

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories