Niagara’s ‘magic’ deep freeze: Falls see best ice formations in a decade

Extreme cold across southern Ontario has caused an incredible freezing effect on lakes, creating new attractions in the province. John Vennavally-Rao reports.

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — It may have been well below freezing on Monday but that didn’t stop large groups of tourists from flocking to Niagara Falls to see one of the natural wonders of the world partially frozen.

That includes Gil and Dana Mariano from London, Ont., who called the scene “beautiful” and “unbelievable.”

“You’ve got to hate the weather,” Gil said of the cold. “But you’ve got to find the beauty in it too, so we drove two hours to see this sight.”

“It’s magic. Just the half frozenness of it. It’s really cool,” he added.

All around the falls there are ice formations including giant mounds that have built up at the base of the American Falls. It doesn’t happen every year and this is the most ice people have seen since 2015.

“We’re seeing the best ice conditions in at least 10 years,” says Niagara Parks Commission CEO David Adames.

It’s all a product of the cold winter and a polar vortex that’s led to extreme sub-zero temperatures for several weeks.

“Last night it was minus 20,” says Adames. “So these conditions absolutely lead to what we’re seeing right now.”

The falls haven’t stopped completely. Roughly 85 million litres a minute flow over Niagara Falls in the winter months, which is too much to totally freeze up.

Though it did happen once in 1848 when an ice jam stopped the flow for more than 30 hours.

John and Jade Sharko drove down from Oshawa, Ont., to see the partially frozen falls and the temporary ice bridge that forms below connecting the U.S. and Canada.

“The trees and everything are covered with ice. It’s just really beautiful,” said Jade.

John said he liked the fact that the crowds weren’t that large compared to the summer and he didn’t mind being out in the cold.

“It’s worth it,” he says. “You dress for it and it’s great.”

While it’s expected to reach 1 C on Tuesday, so much ice has built up that Adames says the ice formations will be around for months.

“It’s a great opportunity to see the falls with Family Day coming up.”