JACKSON, Wyo. — Weather watchers in Jackson Hole might have noticed a unique snow phenomenon in the valley following strong winds on Sunday night.
Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer spotted these unusual snow rollers strewn across a field on Monday, March 17. Typically, snow rollers form through a combination of wind, gravity and sticky, wet snow, tumbling down the sides of hills or mountains, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). It’s less common to see them form on flat terrain.
According to NWS data, winds were blowing between 25 to 35 mph on Sunday, with gusts up to 45 mph, combining with temperatures just above freezing. National Geographic notes that these winter tumbleweed equivalents require a “dusting of snow on top of an icy layer on the ground, often on a hill or other expanse with no protruding vegetation. The dusting needs to be just wet enough so that it can adhere to itself but not stick to the ground.”
These hollow cylinders also go by the names “snow donuts” and “snow bales.”
Readers: Have you seen snow rollers around Jackson? Do you call them something else? Let us know! Send your observations to tips@buckrail.com.
