Niagara Falls freezes and turns into an "icy wonderland", forming many dreamlike landscapes

On January 9, 2018, local time in the United States, one of the most wonderful phenomena during the recent extreme cold weather was definitely the Niagara Falls being covered in ice. The polar vortex reached the northern states of the country and sub-zero temperatures persisted for a long time. This turns the waterfall into a breathtaking formation of ice.

When temperatures drop below freezing, Niagara Falls is an icy wonderland. This photo shows huge ice masses formed by extremely cold weather. You can see how the water flows on top of the blocks and freezes in a growing shape that looks like an ice monster when it wakes up.

Tourists take photos at the edge of Niagara Falls. Thanks to the extreme cold weather, the icicles grew as large as adults...and some of them even grew larger. The constant wind freezes the icicles into curved shapes, so it's best to stay away from them while they thaw!

Even in cold weather, Niagara Falls is one of the most romantic places in the world. Despite the extremely cold temperatures, many tourists head to the falls not to miss the breathtaking views. The elderly couple also seemed unaffected by the harsh weather conditions. They must have warmth in their hearts.

The tiny observatory is almost unrecognizable as it is surrounded by ice. Some visitors imagined the movie Frozen because it looked like Elsa had just spread her arms and sprinkled ice on everything. The deck is usually the entrance to the tour known as the Journey Behind the Falls, and apparently, it wasn't running at the time.

Can you find the climber? Well, that’s Will Gadd, the world champion ice climber from Canada. He climbed many extremely dangerous icebergs, fjords and frozen waterfalls, but Niagara was undoubtedly one of his life experiences, a hair-raising combination of water ice, snow, slush and spray ice. As he later said in an interview, the most shocking element was the extreme physical vibration caused by the waterfall. “You can feel it in your gut” – he added.

Niagara has always been a favorite subject for nature photographers. Niagara this winter offers a unique spectacle that creates absolutely stunning works of art. However, if they're vigilant enough, they can take similar photos of frozen Niagara in 2014 and 2017, which are also known for their frozen falls.

What makes the ice formations so dramatic and wonderful is that the water freezes as it flows over the falls, creating massive layers of ice underneath that can even be up to 40 feet thick. This is how these amazing ice formations are born and cover everything - trees, plants, stones - with a white coat.

Lights create a magical multi-colored view of frozen Niagara Falls, with a fairytale observation deck in front. Most of us can only admire these lights in photos because even the most determined tourists decide to spend the night inside. "Falls Lighting" has been in operation since 1925.

In the early 1900s, frozen Niagara phenomena were not uncommon. It freezes almost every year. However, this has only happened a few times when the waterfall has completely frozen over, creating a "bridge" over the water. Because the river is constantly flowing underneath, it is very dangerous and walking on it is prohibited.

Niagara Falls has water mist all year round, however, when it gets extremely cold, it can also get wet. This happens because the water is warmer than the air. It's hard to imagine, but the National Weather Service warns that wind chill can freeze skin in 15 minutes.