Cool new disk: Spinning ice drawing chilly gawkers again

A large ice disk slowly rotates in the Presumpscot River in Westbrook, Maine, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Ice disks form as a result of a current and vortex under the ice. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

WESTBROOK, Maine – A swirling disk of ice on a Maine river is drawing onlookers in the heart of winter once again.

The disk has formed in the Presumpscot River in Westbrook. A handful of dog-walkers and onlookers stopped to gaze at the curious ice formation on a chilly Thursday morning around dawn.

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The disk drew fans from around the globe when it first appeared in the river in 2019. It also partially formed in 2020.

Ice disks can form because of a current and vortex under ice. The ice sheets spin and form into circles. Officials with Westbrook have cautioned against attempting to go out on the ice disk.


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