Here’s the sort of thing that you might expect to see on the reboot of “The X-Files.” Thousands of snowballs spontaneously form, without any human hands to help, and then roll together like a ghostly invasion force through a field in Idaho.
But as agent Mulder probably would explain to us, all those snowballs actually are a natural, albeit extremely rare, phenomenon known as snow rollers.As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website explains, snow rollers form when an unusual sequence of events occur. First, a smooth crust of snow that’s already on the ground is covered by newer, lighter layer of snow. Then, the weather abruptly changes, warming rapidly, and strong wind kicks up. The wind picks up small pieces of moist,
But as agent Mulder probably would explain to us, all those snowballs actually are a natural, albeit extremely rare, phenomenon known as snow rollers.As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website explains, snow rollers form when an unusual sequence of events occur. First, a smooth crust of snow that’s already on the ground is covered by newer, lighter layer of snow. Then, the weather abruptly changes, warming rapidly, and strong wind kicks up. The wind picks up small pieces of moist,