Snow rollers: How weather conditions create this unusual winter phenomenon
Snow rollers are rare because it requires very specific weather and ground conditions for nature to make its own snowballs.
Fresh snow was rolling across the ground, creating snowballs on a lawn in Ottawa. The bales of snow are called “snow rollers”, a rare phenomenon when the wind pushes snow across the ground gathering more snow along the way.
Lisa VonReichbauer came across an odd sight in Suttons Bay, Michigan, on Dec. 16, 2025. Someone appeared to have created dozens of snowballs by rolling snow across a yard — but it wasn't a human who did this; it was Mother Nature making her own winter creations.
Photo Gallery: Snow Rollers in Michigan
With precise temperature, wind and snow conditions, nature can create its own snowballs. Called "snow rollers," they form when wind curls a chunk of snow over itself, creating a bigger and bigger roll of snow until it becomes too heavy to move.
How do snow rollers form?
For this to happen, conditions must be perfect. For a snow roller to form, a layer of wet, loose snow needs to be near the freezing point. Underneath that layer, a non-stick surface is required, such as previously packed ice, snow or frozen ground.
A slight incline helps but isn't required. If the wind is too high or chaotic, it can tear the snow rollers apart before they have a chance to stick together.
Snow rollers are typically only a few inches wide, but they have been documented to be as large as 2 feet tall.
Few videos exist showing them being created. The one below was captured in Canada in 2018.
Snow rollers forming in Ottawa, Canada on Feb. 1, 2018. (Sheila Nemcsok via Storyful)
Snow rollers are most often documented in the northern United States and Canada, but they can form anywhere those specific atmospheric and ground conditions are met.
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