People strolling on a beach in one of the word’s northmost regions, on the island of Hailuoto in Finland were surprised to find the beach covered in balls of ice on 2 November. Some were the size of hen’s eggs, while others were even larger
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Balls of ice, like these, form when turbulent water near the shore breaks up a layer of slushy ice, according to CNN Weather.
Jouni Vainio, an ice specialist from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), told YLE that the formations require just the right air and water conditions, which have to be near freezing.
The shallow sandy beach and just the right ebb and flow of the frigid water would be almost enough for the ‘eggs’ to form, he explained. However, there would also have to be another factor to allow the ball of snow and ice to form around it.
‘Too much wind would prevent the ball from forming. On the other hand, if it’s calm, [the water] would just freeze on the beach in an even layer,’ Vainio continued.
This discovery of the ice ‘eggs’ was serendipitous, because they melt fairly quickly.
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