Snow rollers
© Timothy Johnson
Snow rollers scattered on the field at Fred Fisher's farm in West Tisbury.
Beyond the snow and some downed tree limbs, the weekend blizzard left another, more unusual calling card, as Vineyard fields were strewn with cylindrical pieces of snow.

The meteorological phenomena are called snow rollers. According to the National Weather Service, snow rollers are formed by strong but not too-strong winds and light snow falling on a layer of smooth, crusted-over old snow.

A small piece of snow is picked up by the wind and, as it rolls along, it collects more snow and becomes cylindrical in shape, sometimes with a hole extending lengthwise through the center. It's a bit like an oblong base of a snowman made by the wind. Snow rollers are said to be as large as a foot in diameter.

Snow rollers are rare, the weather service said, because of the combination of conditions required for them to form.

Snow rollers
© Albert O. FischerSnow rollers are said to be rare because of the unique set of conditions required for them to form.
On Monday they were the talk of the town, including on social media sites, as they were spotted around the Island.

Meanwhile, snowfall amounts varied around the Island. Weather observers reported 10 inches in Edgartown, 13 inches in Oak Bluffs, and 15 inches in West Tisbury during the winter storm that lasted from mid-day Saturday to early Sunday morning.