0:00:02 > 0:00:06# Marauding mice and balls of ice and sharks on a golfing spree
0:00:06 > 0:00:10# Cicada swarms and Martian storms and fish walking out of the sea
0:00:10 > 0:00:15# Elks in trees and foaming seas and giant mayfly mobs
0:00:15 > 0:00:19- # Zombie snails and friendly whales and completely frozen frogs.- What?
0:00:19 > 0:00:21# Wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:21 > 0:00:24# Really, really wild and really, really weird
0:00:24 > 0:00:25# Wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:25 > 0:00:30# Really, really wild and really, really wild and weird. #
0:00:30 > 0:00:33It's all things SNOW business today with the wall of ice that
0:00:33 > 0:00:35engulfed a town...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38The frog that has a really cool trick for surviving the winter...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42And the mysterious hailstone as big as a rugby ball
0:00:42 > 0:00:43that fell from the sky.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58You've got to love this country.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02One minute, here we are, basking in glorious sunshine.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06The next minute, it's a raging gale.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09WIND HOWLS
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Whoa.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And then there is the potential for fog.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18FOG HORN
0:01:19 > 0:01:21SHE COUGHS
0:01:21 > 0:01:22And snow.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Oh, isn't it pretty?
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And, of course, in the UK, we get a lot of rain.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Yes, we do. Which is why I'm prepared.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Hang on, where's my umbrella? Wait, stop, stop, stop!
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Don't even think about it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Spoilsport. All right, we'll go straight on to the hailstones.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- Hailstones?!- Yeah, I'll just get my protective headgear on.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55- Where did you get that from? - OK, guys.- Wait! Hold on, hold on.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00- Do not throw that. Bring that here. - Wow.- This is massive.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Was he going to throw that at us?
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Yes, you think I'm wearing this for fun?
0:02:04 > 0:02:06But hailstones are tiny - this would knock you out!
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Yeah, it would and, believe me, one that size did
0:02:09 > 0:02:13fall from the sky and very nearly did knock someone out.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15- You don't believe me, do you?- No. - Here, have a look at this.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17It made the news.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20A grandfather has been hit by a big block of ice
0:02:20 > 0:02:22which fell from the sky while he was in his garden.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- No way!- Way. Keep watching.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28So, let me paint the picture.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30This is hail as you know it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Tiny balls of ice pelting down on the Earth.
0:02:32 > 0:02:38But hail can get even larger. So much so, it becomes like missiles.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40MAN: Woo-hoo!
0:02:42 > 0:02:44This is awesome!
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Now, imagine if something like this fell out of the sky.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54- You are kidding.- It's true. It happened to a man in Bristol.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Bristol? That's here in this country.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- That happened here in the UK?- Yeah.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04- Crikey. It's a bit close to home for my liking.- Yes, and for this guy.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- Who's that?- David Gammon. Thought he'd had his bacon.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11HE CHUCKLES
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Too hammy?
0:03:14 > 0:03:15HE CHUCKLES
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It's now down to about the size of an orange,
0:03:19 > 0:03:25but nonetheless, travelling at 120mph or so, it comes as quite a shock.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It is like being hit by a fast bowler with a cricket ball.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Whoa, that would be painful.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33# Ice, ice, baby... #
0:03:33 > 0:03:35We need a BBC weather bod to explain all.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37# Ice, ice, baby... #
0:03:37 > 0:03:42- Who's that?- That Darren Bett, one of the Met office's best.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- Where's he going? - Sorry, dodgy camera work.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Pan back a sec to Darren. There you go, we're still doing his intro.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52No, just... Oh, now it's out of focus. Over to you, Darren.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56These large chunks of ice are very heavy.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I don't know of any updrafts that can keep them up in the air
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and build them and grow them in the same way that a hailstorm can.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Also, they seem to be coming from cloudless skies.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- That's strange. No clouds?- No.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13So, something else in the sky, possibly carrying water that
0:04:13 > 0:04:18if it escaped could freeze on its way to the ground. Is it a bird?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- Is it a pl...- Go on. Go on!
0:04:20 > 0:04:24- A plane!- It's funny you say that.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Who's that?
0:04:28 > 0:04:32That is the head of airworthiness at the Civil Aviation Authority.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37# Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away... #
0:04:37 > 0:04:38If the ice is completely clear,
0:04:38 > 0:04:44then we are pretty sure it's most likely not an aviation source.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48But sometimes we have reports of ice that is coloured.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52That usually suggests there is chemical content, which
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- we do use in treating toilet waste. - So, top tip there.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Beware of blue ice.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00It could have been flushed out of an aeroplane loo.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04# Let's fly awa-a-ay
0:05:04 > 0:05:06# And don't tell your mama! #
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- But according to the stats... - What stats?- In this. Ice Weekly?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Only the coolest people read it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Anyway, it says here only 5% of reported cases of
0:05:20 > 0:05:23ice blocks in the UK can be linked to planes.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27So what about the other 95%? And, more importantly,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30the piece that hit poor David, could it have fallen from space?
0:05:30 > 0:05:36Interesting. You hit play. I will read this.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37It says here...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Experts have named these unidentified falling
0:05:40 > 0:05:44objects as megacryometeors.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48With a name like that, it would suggest they came from space.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49But on closer inspection,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53they don't have enough dust or iron content to be typical meteors.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57For now, the scientists are actually out of ideas, so,
0:05:57 > 0:06:02for the moment, large chunks of ice falling to Earth remain a mystery.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Give me that. What?
0:06:06 > 0:06:10"Large chunks of ice, blah, blah, blah, remain a mystery?"
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- That's a rubbish story, it doesn't have an ending.- It isn't rubbish.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Besides, one thing I do know for sure is if that chunk of ice were
0:06:19 > 0:06:22to hit you, it would really hurt.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24What, this one?
0:06:26 > 0:06:32- Well? Did it hurt?- No, it didn't hurt, it was melted!- Oh, well.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Anyway. Moving on.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41Meet the wood frog,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45the only amphibian to be found north of the Arctic Circle.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Pretty cold up there, Naomi. Weird place for a frog to live.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52You're right. So when winter comes...
0:06:54 > 0:07:01- It freezes solid?- Yep!- So, it dies. - No.- But it's frozen solid.- Yep.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04But this frog has a secret superpower.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09- What, other than freezing itself solid and not dying?- Yep.
0:07:09 > 0:07:16- Come this spring, it will thaw out and come back to life.- No! What?
0:07:17 > 0:07:23- And how does it do it?- Yeah, how on earth does it do it?- Nobody knows.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- And that's the end of the story. - What?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29No, no, no, you can't stop there. What?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32It's not very nice, not getting an ending, is it?
0:07:32 > 0:07:36You are evil, Wilkinson. You sucked me in, knowing too well.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I'm not that mean. I do know why it does that,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I just wanted you to see what it feels like.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- And? How does he do it? - OK, I'll show you.- Yes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51As the first ice crystals begin to form on the frog's damp skin,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53its core temperature plummets.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Its liver goes into overdrive, producing masses of glucose,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04a type of sugar which it pumps into its cells
0:08:04 > 0:08:06to act as a kind of antifreeze.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11At the same time, it releases a protein which attaches to the
0:08:11 > 0:08:15water molecules between those cells, so that when they freeze,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18ice crystals are too small to do any damage.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23It can stay in this suspended animation for weeks on end,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27until a change in temperature allows it to slowly thaw.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29So you could say...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32# The cold never bothered him anyway. #
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Oh, let it go, Naomi.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38So, basically, it can freeze and then defrost.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- Yeah.- That is pretty cool, actually. That is cool.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Right, continuing today's theme of...
0:08:47 > 0:08:49# Ice, ice, baby... #
0:08:49 > 0:08:53let's agree that the final story will definitely have an ending.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Agreed. You have one in mind?
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Yeah, a death-defying moving wall of ice that engulfs
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and terrorises a small town.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- Yeah, sounds fab!- You're sick.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10We're heading to Winnipeg in Canada,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14where residents of Ochre Beach woke up one morning to this.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- MAN:- This is absolutely crazy.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I agree, that is absolutely crazy.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26As crazy as it sounds, a nine-metre-high wall of ice rose up
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and threatened to engulf an entire street.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Residents like Miles Haverluck...
0:09:32 > 0:09:37- I am looking.- No, "Haverluck". - I told you, I am.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- No, his name is Miles... - I know, "Haverluck".
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- Have a look at what?- This.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Hang on, who is telling this story? - I am.- Are you?- Yeah, have a look.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52As Tim was saying, residents like Miles Haverluck...
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Ahem. Carry on.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56..could only stand back
0:09:56 > 0:10:00and watch in horror as their homes faced a tsunami of ice.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04I like to use the analogy of a freight train sort of coming at you,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08because it almost seemed like that. This happened in a matter of minutes.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It was probably coming about the same as you would walk
0:10:13 > 0:10:14and it just kept on moving.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18You looked out thinking, "This has got to stop. This has got to stop."
0:10:18 > 0:10:19But it didn't.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Miles's friend was filming as second by second the ice surged
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- towards the house. - We're about to get engulfed by ice.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's about to come through the house.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32All these houses are getting engulfed by ice.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37But just when it seemed nothing could stop it,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39everything went quiet.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Oh. That's me. That's me. Sorry. Sat on the mute button.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47It's so big, isn't it?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I'll just turn that up.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50- MAN:- Please...
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Oh. It is very quiet.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57- That is because the ice tsunami stopped.- The ice tsunami?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Please explain.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03When layers of snow build up, they compress and create a glacier.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Their sheer mass makes them flow down through the landscape,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10carving up the solid rock below.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15It might travel just a few metres a year, but as this sped up
0:11:15 > 0:11:20footage shows, over time, this movement makes quite an impact.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24But these processes often take thousands of years, not minutes,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28so what caused such a dramatic and quick change in the ice
0:11:28 > 0:11:30at Ochre Beach?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33You'd do worse to ask this lady, Michelle.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37She's an expert on all things glaci...glacial...glaze...
0:11:37 > 0:11:39She knows everything about ice.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41In the middle of winter, the ice is all stuck together
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and it's very resistant to motion,
0:11:43 > 0:11:48but once it starts to break up in the springtime, it can start to move.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And from what the local residents remember,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55the weather was changing quite dramatically as well that day.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Hang on, who is telling this story?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- I am.- Oh. OK.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04They were predicting high winds.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08At four o'clock in the afternoon, it was as calm as calm could be
0:12:08 > 0:12:12and at six o'clock at night it was absolutely unbelievable.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15My daughter said, "Look at the trees, Dad."
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Our trees in the front lawn, they were doubled down.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19It looked like they were nearly touching the ground.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21I'm surprised they didn't break.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Michelle, what possible effect could this have on our thawing lake?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Often times when you have rapid warming in the springtime,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32you will also have stormy conditions, so as the ice starts to break up,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36if you have a big wind gust or storm event, it will start to
0:12:36 > 0:12:39push on that ice and it will get it to raft onto the shore.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42# You're as cold as ice... #
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I could see it just moving along the shoreline...
0:12:45 > 0:12:49# You're as cold as ice... #
0:12:49 > 0:12:51When it hits the land, the land has friction,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55so the ice that is the first to hit the land stops.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59MUSIC STARTS AGAIN
0:12:59 > 0:13:05And all the ice is piled up behind it, kind of crumbling on top of it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09It looks like a slow wave that is coming ashore, but it's
0:13:09 > 0:13:13basically all the ice tumbling over the ice that has stopped.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Fortunately, no-one was hurt, and once the ice melted,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20the town had the arduous task of rebuilding their houses.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Totally weird.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29What are you doing?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Well, I was just going to try out my new wall of ice
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- symbol for my weather map. - Are you sure that's wise?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Probably not, but what's the worst that could happen?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39RUMBLING
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Whoa!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47THEY SCREAM