Snow rolled itself into a tube

Extremely rare natural phenomenon - curled snow into a tubular shape - has been seen in the UK during a recent snowstorm.

Snow rolls on the field in Yeovil, Somerset, England.

The 'snow roll' is mostly formed in unusual weather conditions. They are often made up of a combination of snow, ice, wind, temperature and humidity on the prairies of North America.

But the cold weather in the UK this week created conditions for cylindrical snowflakes to appear in the country.

Ron Trevett, 55, and his wife Aileen, 54, were surprised when they stumbled across mysterious snow rolls as they walked their dogs on a field near their home in Yeovil, Somerset, England.

'We saw snow rolls from afar but thought that the children had come to play there and made giant snowballs themselves. But when we arrived, we could not see human footprints, while hundreds of snow rolls appeared. Then we realized that they were made completely natural, ' Mr. Trevett said.

Mr. Trevett, a builder, said he and his wife felt lucky to see such a rare phenomenon.

'We feel very lucky. I am over 50 years old and have never met such a phenomenon in my life. It is truly a beautiful sight. '

Frank Barrow, a meteorologist at the British Meteorological Office (Met Office), said cylindrical snow rolls formed only when a combination of unusual weather elements were combined.

'They begin to form with a thick layer of snow and the top layer begins to melt. The top layer of snow becomes flat and strong wind will make this wet layer peel off each piece, blow them away, stick with dry snow below to form snow rolls'.

After forming, the snow rolls are big and heavy, making the wind unable to move them. The snow roll also melts when there is a slight change in temperature or wind.

Liz Bentley, from the British Royal Meteorological Association, said that although snow rolls rarely appear in the UK, there is a possibility that they will form in the next few days.

Snow rolls formed in Idaho, USA in April 2009: