Canada: Over the Christmas weekend, western New York was paralysed by a relentless storm that authorities dubbed the “blizzard of the century”.
In what is being dubbed as the ‘blizzard of the century’, the winter storm also froze one of the tallest waterfall in the world, changing it into a what New York Post called, ‘a winter wonderland’.
Images and videos of the partially frozen Niagara Falls were shared on Twitter on Wednesday. Notably, the entirety of the falls never freezes considering the gargantuan volume of water that falls. A whopping 3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second, according to the Niagara Falls New York State Park. It falls at a speed of 32 feet per second.
The day after the great freeze, my family and I went to #NiagraFalls. The #NiagraRiver below it had ice thick enough for you *to technically* get to #Buffalo, #NewYork by foot!
Was it an intriguing and surreal Arctic experience for a kid from California, yes! pic.twitter.com/MAC8IIfjZc
— Escondido Weather Observer (CoCoRaHs: CA-SD-197) (@KCAESCON230) December 23, 2022
“During particularly cold temperatures, the mist and spray begin to form a crust of ice over top of the rushing water, making it appear as though the Falls have in fact stopped. However, the water continues to flow underneath the sheets of ice,” says the Niagara Parks website.
In fact, a total freeze is nearly impossible, according to the Niagara Falls USA tourism website.
According to the Niagara Falls New York State Park, around 3,160 tonnes of water flows over Niagara Falls every second. It is falling at a rate of 32 feet per second.
Prior to 1964, ice could obstruct the flow of water further upstream, causing the volume of water on the US side of the Falls to freeze. This happened five times before steel ice-booms were installed to prevent large ice accumulations.
