Snow Rollers are Back
Snow Roller on patio - Saskatoon
We got a late-night visit on Wednesday night January 13, 2021 by the rare snow rollers. This is only the second time that I have seen them. The first time was December 23/1993. The second time was after the big windstorm we had the other night. Winds according to the weather app were 70 kph with gusts up to 102 kph. No, these are no Holy Rollers, but magical just the same.
Snow rollers are rare.
It occurs when mother nature makes snowballs on its own.
Weathermen say you need three things to make snow rollers.
1. Lots of fresh fluffy snow.
2. The temperature must rise above freezing to make the snow sticky.
3. Finally, you need a strong wind to blow the snow into balls.
Dorothy heard on the TV news that snow rollers had occurred but with COVID, we don't go out much so we didn't expect to see any, However, when we opened the door to our backyard we realized the wind was strong enough to create them in our small backyard.
When it occurred the first time, I wrote a children's story, entitled Old Man Winter and Crazy Chinook. See Next Page
Patio Snowroller
