See photos of “Snow Donuts,” winter conditions

Many Americans are dressing warmly as they deal with cold weather and freezing temperatures.

In Ohio, for example, the National Weather Service issued a warning for the Cleveland, Ohio region on Friday.

“Heavy lake effect snow,” the government agency said. “Additional snow accumulations between 6 and 12 inches in Erie County and 2 to 4 inches in Crawford County.”

The warning remains in effect until 1 a.m. ET Saturday, the NWS said. The government agency advises travelers to bring a flashlight, food and water in case of emergency when traveling on the slippery and dangerous roads. The dangerous conditions could impact Friday night’s commute, the NWS said.

Conditions were scorching hot in Michigan, but some enjoyed it.

This week, Michigan residents caught snow donuts in their backyard. Paw Paw residents Janice and Eric Pantelleria saw the beautiful, rolled objects on their large lawn and wondered if their children had played a prank on them.

“My husband was outside clearing the driveway when he noticed her,” Janice Pantelleria told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. “At first he thought the kids had rolled some snowballs in the garden – but then he noticed they were surrounding our house.”

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

On Wednesday, AccuWeather multimedia journalist Anna Azallion posted a video on X explaining the natural phenomena.

“This is called donut ice cream,” she said in the video. “It shapes very similarly to the ice cream pancakes, but when these pieces collide together to form this round shape, the water splashes on them, right, and then reformulates it. That’s why you see more of that kind of white border around the donut ice cream.”

Typically, ice pancakes form on a lake or ocean and can occur when active waves break up a solid layer of ice, Azallion said. Azallion also explains that donut ice cream is usually created in the same way as ice cream pancakes, but there are a few differences:

“This creates thicker ice around the edges, and that’s why they’re white rather than clear,” she said. “But just like the ice cream pancakes, they are squishy and break apart easily when you pick them up.”

Ice cream pancakes and donuts can be found in the following areas:

“Both are common in the Great Lakes,” Azallion said. “The donut ice cream is there on Lake Erie in Buffalo. They are also found in Canada, on the Baltic Sea and in Antarctica.”

The two will form when temperatures drop below freezing for a few days, Azallion said.

Here’s a look at some photos of the “Snow Donuts” and other wintry scenes across the U.S. this week.

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

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