These breathtaking images of Niagara Falls will chill you to your core

It’s a sight to chill every visitor to the gushing Niagara Falls – and one you would never expect to see. 

Niagara Falls were first recorded to have frozen in 1848 and since then they have only frozen over in 1911, 1912, 1917, 2014, 2015 and 2022. 

Now a polar vortex in North America, snow and plunging temperatures has seen the famous falls a spectacular picture of stillness and icy calm. 

The Falls are not completely frozen, with some slow movement. An estimated 22 million people visit Niagara Falls each year on both the American and Canadian sides to see more than 168,000 m3 (5.9 million cu ft) of water go over the crest of the falls every minute. 

Despite its name, it’s not one waterfall but three cascades. Two – American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls – are located in the United States while the largest – Horseshoe Falls – lies on the Canadian side.

The freeze comes as National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists issued a winter ‘clipper storm’ warning for several New York counties – including Niagara Falls – which has swept southeast from Canada. 

A clipper storm, as defined by the National Weather Service, is a fast-moving storm that drops into the U.S. over the Great Lakes from Alberta, Canada.

The NWS said: “The first low will pass over the Northeast, pushing a potent cold front south across the Great Lakes and Northeast. 

“Snow squalls will be possible for portions of the eastern Great Lakes, Northeast, and even into the northern Mid-Atlantic as the front drops south.” 

Niagara isn’t the only area to be experiencing freezing temperatures recently. A major snowstorm is set to hit the Southern states, just a week after a historic blizzard blasted the region.