Snow Rollers Spotted in northern DeKalb County

A rare phenomenon occurred in northern DeKalb County following the record breaking snowfall Sunday.  These balls of snow are called 'snow rollers' and the conditions in the atmosphere for them to form have to be just right.

It looks like someone went out into the field and rolled a bunch of snowballs, but it's actually the wind that causes the snow rollers to form.  The conditions under which they form have to be just right - wet, loose snow on top of a thin layer of ice, surface temperatures right around freezing and strong winds, but not too strong otherwise the snow would break apart.  These can sometimes form after a bigger snow storm, but not always.  And because the conditions have to be just right, they don't occur that often.  So when you do see one, it's a pretty cool sight!!