Snow Donuts If you live somewhere in the United States, anywhere in the United States (of course wit
Snow Donuts If you live somewhere in the United States, anywhere in the United States (of course with some exceptions), you were probably cold this week. Houston, Atlanta, Birmingham, and much of the Deep South that rarely ever sees any kind of winter weather all witnessed snow and ice over the past week. From the Midwest to the Northeast and everything in between, cold weather has been abundant to say the least in North America. As the arctic temperatures slammed much of the United States, one could have found snow rolls or “snow donuts” much like these in many regions of the Appalachian Mountains. Snow donuts accumulate when sticky but light weighted snow precipitate in windy conditions. In order to accumulate, the snow must exist on a layer of ice and be wet and light in weight. The snow must also be around 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). The formations come to be by accumulating, rolling in the shape/direction of the wind, then accumulating a bit more, freezing, and rolling, and so on. The conditions have to be absolutely perfect in order for these rare formations to occur so witnessing them in nature can be a difficult and an exciting feat. –Pete D Photo Credit:http://bit.ly/1fhmvYH References: 1. http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/otx/photo_gallery/snow_rollers.php 2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/us-cold-weather-_n_4557877.html 3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/photos-of-the-day/2014/01/28/34f899ca-881a-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_gallery.html#photo=4 -- source link
#snow rollers#snow donuts#united states#weather#winter#appalachians#science#geology