Posted in Maine Nature January 17, 2019 by Michelle

The Mesmerizing Winter Phenomenon You Can Spot Right Now In Maine

It doesn’t take much of a trip outside to realize that it’s winter in Maine. The temps are certainly colder than they’ve been in a long time and we’re feeling chillier than we have in a while. But, perhaps the most winter thing to happen recently is this natural ice disk floating in southern Maine. Some have called it the largest disk of ice in the world. We didn’t realize there were others to compare it to! Whatever words you use to describe it, it’s definitely unique!

First Nelly, now this. It's seeming more and more like Westbrook gets all the cool stuff!

For a little bit of nature's mystery, head for the small town about seven miles from Portland.

Here you'll see what some are now simply calling "the ice disk."

Twirling in a circle is a perfectly round ice disk, likely formed by the river current moving particles of ice that have, little-by-little, attached themselves to a larger piece of ice. The more it grows, the more ice it picks up.

Scientists say that this phenomenon is not one-of-a-kind, but that doesn't make it any less impressive to locals in town.

It's almost mesmerizing to watch it spin and some have even seen ducks take a ride on the twirling disk.

The ice disk measure about 100 yards across and looks to be spinning at a rate of one rotation every six minutes.

To truly take in the wonder that is the spinning ice disk, you’ll want to see it from above. It’s superbly captured in this video shared by the City of Westbrook, Maine on Vimeo.

Westbrook, Maine Ice Disk – Presumpscot River.

And, while you’re doing some extra consideration of what it means to live in Maine, you might also want to refresh yourself on the 15 phases of surviving winter here. It’s not all snow tubes and ski lodges!

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