Niagara Falls has frozen over as arctic temperatures have taken hold across the Great Lakes, creating an amazing sight that’s generating some viral photos and drawing tourists from around the world.
With temperatures dipping to 13 degrees below zero in the region, the famous waterfall has turned into a giant cascade of icy sheets. Pictures of the frozen Niagara Falls have circulated around the internet, showing just how massive the ice is around the waterfall.
The extreme cold temperatures are helping create the frozen phenomenon. When the weather is this cold, the tremendous amount of mist generated by the powerful waterfall turns everything around it into ice, building in ever-thickening layers that make for an incredible sight.
This is not the first time that a frozen Niagara Falls has gained attention. Last year some photos of the ice-draped waterfall went viral, thanks in part to a bit of a misunderstanding about just how icy it had gotten. In March, a late-winter cold snap left icy covering the sides of the waterfall, but many pictures circulating on the internet and social media claimed that it had actually frozen over entirely.
Some visitors to the falls ended up disappointed when they found out that Niagara Falls wasn’t actually frozen over.
“I did think they were going to be frozen, because I had heard they were frozen,” photographer Linda Gellman said.
The confusion came from pictures taken from the Canadian side of the falls, which made it look like the entire waterfall was frozen over. In reality, the powerful flow of water continues to fall in a channel between the ice.
For people who live in the region, it’s not all that unusual to see Niagara Falls frozen. Every year the waterfall at freezes over at least partially, though in years like this with extended periods of sub-zero temperatures the ice builds up even more.
Those who want to see what it looks like when Niagara Falls is frozen can check out this live video from the Hilton Fallsview Hotel.
[Image via Reuters]
