As wintry weather and snow-like snow hit Michigan on Wednesday, Paw Paw residents Janice and Eric Pantelleria went outside to find unusual lawn decorations: dozens upon dozens of neatly rolled up snow donuts or cylinders on their large lawn.

The snow rollers are a somewhat unusual weather phenomenon, said Megan Varcie, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake.

“There was such heavy, sticky snow coming off the lake that was packing nicely, combined with high winds – West Michigan had wind gusts over 40 miles per hour,” she said. “Under these conditions, these cylindrical rolls of snow can form, especially in open areas without trees.”

“My husband was outside clearing the driveway when he noticed her,” Janice Pantelleria said. “At first he thought the kids had rolled some snowballs in the garden – but then he noticed they were surrounding our house.”

Pantelleria’s photos of the snow rolls were shared on Facebook and attracted widespread attention.

More: The surprising reason lake effect snow buries cities: It’s fluffy

“I’m glad everyone enjoyed the photos as much as we enjoyed seeing them firsthand,” said Janice Pantelleria.

Contact Keith Matheny: [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After snow and wind, amazingly rare snow donuts are forming in Michigan’s backyard