Wintah Bantah

[RUNNAWAYICEBERG]

Right at the end of my road:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP89Gn2VK/

[WxWatcher007]

It’s harder to tell what’s AI anymore but this looks real and wild.

 

[JACKASS]

24 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

It’s harder to tell what’s AI anymore but this looks real and wild.

 

Similar to a dust devil?

Temp thing??

[Ginx snewx]

4 hours ago, JACKASS said:

Similar to a dust devil?

Temp thing??

Seen those on ski slopes pretty often 2017 SR

[radarman]

Ice fishing in Ludlow in a low torchy spot... ice is 16".   Up in the higher more protected terrain it's gotta be 2 feet I bet

[powderfreak]

On 2/12/2026 at 11:15 PM, Ginx snewx said:

Seen those on ski slopes pretty often 2017 SR

 

Had one day this winter with multiple large ones at Stowe.  Biggest I can ever remember.

Wish I could post the video, but too big size.  Here’s a screen grab… much easier to see the definition in the video but that’s like a 1,000ft tall vortex. 

[dendrite]

On 2/12/2026 at 7:11 PM, JACKASS said:

Similar to a dust devil?

Temp thing??

Dust devils rely on hot surface temps…snow sfc temps are relatively cool because of the albedo.

Since they’re often on mtns…I’m going to guess they start as a local swirl/vortice that strengthens as it slides down in elevation as it stretches vertically and tightens and speeds up like a figure skater. 

[powderfreak]

23 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Dust devils rely on hot surface temps…snow sfc temps are relatively cool because of the albedo.

Since they’re often on mtns…I’m going to guess they start as a local swirl/vortice that strengthens as it slides down in elevation as it stretches vertically and tightens and speeds up like a figure skater. 

They seem to start during differential heating or steep lapse rates during CAA.  We seem to get them during times of broken clouds/partly sunny conditions after a snow, with a strong 850 mb flow amid steep low level lapse rates.  

[dendrite]

I guess I’m just having trouble understanding how you’re getting that strong of sfc lapse rates and differential heating aloft on the mountain side snow surface.

Do you get whirls like that during warm season?

[powderfreak]

1 hour ago, dendrite said:

I guess I’m just having trouble understanding how you’re getting that strong of sfc lapse rates and differential heating aloft on the mountain side snow surface.

Do you get whirls like that during warm season?

Not visually at least during the warm season… but I don’t think we get them.  It seems to be a phenomena that occurs in a strong low level flow with a big thermal difference in the lowest 5,000ft.  30F in the valley, 10F up top.  Some destabilizing sunshine.

They seem rare when it’s completely thick clouds.  I think that’s what I think of when I see them… it’s a well-mixed atmosphere.

[weatherwiz]

I have to wonder how much of an influence the reduced balloon launches are having on the model uncertainty. I was looking at the 12z launches the other day and couldn't believe the lack of observations. This has to be having an impact. Tagging @Typhoon Tip because I'm really interested in his thoughts on this.

[tamarack]

I've seen little snow devils but nothing like those pics.  The only dust devil I've seen came in the hot summer of 1966, where I was cooking burgers and dogs in the lodge at Curtiss-Wright's employee lake resort in NNJ.  On a hot but dry and near-calm August, the small (<20 ac) lake was suddenly full of whitecaps from a north wind gusting probably to 40 down the long axis of the lake.  The spinner formed at the south end of the lodge, moved against the wind behind the building, then headed across the water.  On the way it tossed the thick cushion from a 6-foot lounge chair about 50 feet up into an oak while flipping the wooden chair end-over-end to the water's edge, also flipping the 14-foot rescue boat.  It picked up the thigh-high steel base of an outdoor ash tray and carried it round and round across the lake and 30-40 feet off the water before hitting the far side woods and dissipating.
My guess on why it formed was that the wind passing north-to-south past the lodge caused low pressure at the south end of the building, and air curling into the "vacuum" started to whirl and kept on spinning for several minutes.  The sudden wind itself lasted less than 15 minutes.

[dryslot]

I have seen these snow devils often while riding in NW Maine, Some are large, Some are the smaller types, Depends on the amount of wind.