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Saw this interesting #wavy pattern in the snow at the #ocean earlier this week. The pattern appears to form from interacting with ocean waves at high tide, then is exposed like this at low tide. Nature makes great art! #WavyWednesday #CapeCod #beach
@TimKStanton great image. Interesting to see snow at sea level
@elperronegro
Thanks. A lot different than the powdery stuff I snowshoed on in the mountains in January! 
Just Annie It's neat how patterns repeat in nature. Like if you flipped this vertically, it would look like sedimentary rock.
@LikeItOrLumpIt
So true! Waves are waves are waves….
@TimKStanton
Uh? That looks really funny
My reaction as well. I've hiked various beaches in this area for a number of winters and haven't seen anything like this before. Maybe a consequence of our recent extra long spell of below-freezing temps?
@TimKStanton Especially - this is ocean, right? I would have assumed that the salty water wouldn't freeze "quickly". Really strange
@hikingdude
Yes, this is the ocean. Not sure if the "snow" was from frozen ocean water or snow that fell from the sky. Saltwater freezes at 28F (-2C) and temps had been well below that, so anything is possible. It had a snow-like consistency-- granular and unconsolidated. No sign of broken up ice like one would expect along a shoreline. A mystery since there was no snow elsewhere. But, there was a narrow thin frozen crust extending from this bank of "snow"-- so it could have been frozen ocean.
@TimKStanton ah it just needs -2°C? I would have expected it WAYS lower. Okay thank you for that info. But still - you've discovered a very nice phenomenon there :)
@hikingdude
Agree-- I'll be on the lookout during future winter hikes for things like this. 
PS. I did some more digging. Check out the below article on an event that took place 10 years ago in the same region. "Slush ice" (a form of sea ice) formed in the ocean washing up on shore (this may also be called "frazil ice"). Some of the pics resemble what I saw earlier this week. So, there is a plausible argument that the source of this "snow" that I saw is the ocean (and not snow falling from the sky).
Could it be spray and mist created and thrown up by the ocean water and frozen in the cold air, ultimately falling like snow?
I don't know, but I suppose that that is possible too. With frigid temps well below freezing, strange things can happen. For example, on mountain summits in the winter, droplets from fog can form as ice on cold rocks, with the ice pointing into the wind. I've never heard of the spray/mist of the ocean turning into snow but, then again, the slush ice doesn't happen much around here either.
Just a thought. But I know what you mean. Rime ice is fascinating. Penientes too.
@TimKStanton
Oh cool! That sounds reasonable. Thank you for finding that article!
@TimKStanton wow that's super cool!
@mattpaynephoto
Indeed, and most unusual!