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The record-breaking chill across the U.S. and Canada
was so frigid it literally stopped Niagara Falls in its tracks.
A collection of spectacular photographs have shown the moment the U.S.
side of the famous falls froze before they could reach the bottom. |
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Thankfully, the freezing air and 'polar vortex' that turned the
cascading water to ice - and affected about 240 million people in the
U.S. and southern Canada - will depart during the second half of this
week, and a far-reaching January thaw will begin, according to
AccuWeather.com.
The 'unprecedented' amounts of ice in the upper Niagara River, caused by
the freezing conditions, caused a so-called ice jam and in turn flooding
on Grand Island and Cayuga Island in Niagara Falls.
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According to historical records, during only one year, 1848, has
freezing weather caused the thousands of cubic feet of water per second
flowing over the Niagara Falls to run dry, an event thought to have been
caused by ice jamming and damming upriver, according to
environmentalgraffiti.com.
Ice bridges spanning the Niagara River from bank to bank have formed as
a result of various other chilly winters. In 1936, the American Falls,
the shallower of the three waterfalls, are said to have frozen over
completely.
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One of the earliest images showing the frozen falls, in sepia tones, is
believed to be from 1911 or 1912, though skeptics have questioned its
authenticity because its photographer is unknown. In 1912, an ice bridge
broke apart as several people were crossing it, sending three to their
deaths.
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