- Photos show frozen branches and icy patches amid the fast-flowing water
Stunning images show the frozen landscape around Niagara Falls in extremely cold weather as a winter storm hits the northern US.
After temperatures reached -9°C on Sunday evening, a thick layer of ice and snow could be seen on the grounds surrounding the famous waterfall, as well as frozen tree branches and icy patches amid the fast-flowing water.
The falls froze over in 1848 due to cold conditions and the accumulation of ice glaciers that stopped the flow of water.
According to Niagara Parks records, they have never frozen over since.
An estimated 22 million people visit Niagara Falls each year on both the American and Canadian sides.
Niagara Falls partially froze over on Monday due to the extreme cold
Frozen branches at Niagara Falls. The falls froze over in 1848 due to freezing temperatures and a buildup of ice glaciers that stopped the flow of water. According to Niagara Parks records, they have never frozen over since
Thick layers of ice and snow around Niagara Falls. The famous waterfall is one of the most visited places in the world
The frozen spectacle occurred as an atmospheric river rocked California with thunderstorms and hail yesterday.
However, the state was spared major damage as there were no predicted tornadoes.
The storms brought gusty winds and caused power outages for more than 11,000 customers, flooded streets, downed trees and closed Santa Barbara Airport for a day.
As of 5 p.m., the 24-hour rainfall total was about 3 to 4 inches in areas below Mount Shasta, one of California's highest peaks at 14,180 feet.
The National Weather Service in Sacramento issued a tornado warning for parts of Plumas County and Butte County in the northern part of the state, but as of Monday night the worst events in those areas were hail and severe thunderstorms, meteorologist Jeffrey Wood said.
Due to the cold weather, Niagra Falls is frozen on the sides. An estimated 22 million people visit Niagara Falls each year on both the American and Canadian sides
Packs of ice stuck to the rocks of Niagara Falls after temperatures rose to -9C on Sunday night
Frozen branches and ice mounds above the water surface
Frozen branches on the shore of Niagara Falls in sub-zero temperatures
An icy rock face next to the gushing waterfall on Monday
Even greater damage was possible as heavy rains were expected to submerge much of Northern California by Tuesday and Southern California by Wednesday.
The mountains and foothills of Los Angeles County could see 3 to 5 inches of rain, the weather service said.
Still, the impact appeared to be far smaller than that of another atmospheric river two weeks ago that dumped up to a year's worth of rainfall in some areas, knocked out power to nearly a million customers and killed nine people.
After historic rainfall a year ago virtually ended the state's severe drought, California is having another wet year.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster on Monday because of severe storms that flooded the San Diego area in January, unlocking federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.
Those rains killed three people and damaged more than 800 homes, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said.