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| 'Ice eggs' cover Finland beach in rare weather event | 'Ice eggs' cover Finland beach in rare weather event |
| (2 days later) | |
| Thousands of egg-shaped balls of ice have covered a beach in Finland, the result of a rare weather phenomenon. | Thousands of egg-shaped balls of ice have covered a beach in Finland, the result of a rare weather phenomenon. |
| Amateur photographer Risto Mattila was among those who came across the "ice eggs" on Hailuoto Island in the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden. | Amateur photographer Risto Mattila was among those who came across the "ice eggs" on Hailuoto Island in the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden. |
| Experts say it is caused by a rare process in which small pieces of ice are rolled over by wind and water. | Experts say it is caused by a rare process in which small pieces of ice are rolled over by wind and water. |
| Mr Mattila, from the nearby city of Oulu, told the BBC he had never seen anything like it before. | Mr Mattila, from the nearby city of Oulu, told the BBC he had never seen anything like it before. |
| "I was with my wife at Marjaniemi beach. The weather was sunny, about -1C (30F) and it was quite a windy day," he told the BBC. | |
| "There we found this amazing phenomenon. There was snow and ice eggs along the beach near the water line." | "There we found this amazing phenomenon. There was snow and ice eggs along the beach near the water line." |
| Mr Mattila said the balls of ice covered an area of about 30m (100ft). The smallest were the size of eggs and the biggest were the size of footballs. | Mr Mattila said the balls of ice covered an area of about 30m (100ft). The smallest were the size of eggs and the biggest were the size of footballs. |
| "That was an amazing view. I have never seen anything like this during 25 years living in the vicinity," Mr Mattila said. | "That was an amazing view. I have never seen anything like this during 25 years living in the vicinity," Mr Mattila said. |
| "Since I had a camera with me I decided to preserve this unusual sight for posterity." | "Since I had a camera with me I decided to preserve this unusual sight for posterity." |
| BBC Weather expert George Goodfellow said conditions needed to be cold and a bit windy for the ice balls to form. | BBC Weather expert George Goodfellow said conditions needed to be cold and a bit windy for the ice balls to form. |
| "The general picture is that they form from pieces of larger ice sheet which then get jostled around by waves, making them rounder," he said. | "The general picture is that they form from pieces of larger ice sheet which then get jostled around by waves, making them rounder," he said. |
| "They can grow when sea water freezes on to their surfaces and this also helps to make them smoother. So the result is a ball of smooth ice which can then get deposited on to a beach, either blown there or getting left there when the tide goes out." | "They can grow when sea water freezes on to their surfaces and this also helps to make them smoother. So the result is a ball of smooth ice which can then get deposited on to a beach, either blown there or getting left there when the tide goes out." |
| Similar sights have been reported before, including in Russia and on Lake Michigan near Chicago. | Similar sights have been reported before, including in Russia and on Lake Michigan near Chicago. |
| In 2016 residents of Nyda in Siberia found giant balls of ice and snow covering an 18km (11-mile) stretch of coastline. | In 2016 residents of Nyda in Siberia found giant balls of ice and snow covering an 18km (11-mile) stretch of coastline. |
| They ranged from the size of a tennis ball to almost 1m (3ft) across. | They ranged from the size of a tennis ball to almost 1m (3ft) across. |
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