Niagara Falls Freezes: Pictures Show Frozen Falls as Polar Vortex to Hit US

From Heather Saul at The Independent;

Incredible pictures show Niagara Falls partially frozen as chilly temperatures continue to bring snow and ice across the US-Canada border.

Similar images emerged last year when the falls, which usually see the passage of 567,811 litres per second, partially froze twice in a few weeks as temperatures fell to a record-breaking low.

Pictures taken this year show some parts of the falls and surrounding areas covered in sheets of ice.

Temperatures dropped to -14 on Tuesday, while wind chills on Wednesday dipped to as low as -25F, WIVB.com reports.

The Weather Prediction Centre is warning of a “historic cold” throughout eastern US on Friday, when the first polar vortex of the season is due to arrive. Read more

Video: Frozen Niagara Falls: Deep Freeze Creates Winter Beauty

Canadian man is the first person crazy enough to climb Niagara Falls

From Michael Hiscock at The Loop

You can leave the barrels at home for this one. From a historic perspective, most of the stunts that have taken place at Niagara Falls involved someone going over the falls. But for the first time ever, someone decided to try climbing up them instead. Ice climbers Will Gadd and Sarah Hueniken somehow braved 180-feet of jagged, frozen cliffs to haul themselves to the top of the famous Canadian landmark. It proved to be a treacherous journey, as Hueniken was left huddling in an ice cave alone for several hours partway up the route after chunks of ice came loose at the top. Not to mention, as Gadd says, “The massive water flow constantly shakes the ground, and makes the ice shelves and walls around you unsteady and unpredictable,” he told the New York Post. Read more

Video: Ice Climbing Frozen Niagara Falls – Will Gadd’s First Ascent

Internationally renowned ice climber Will Gadd takes ice climbing to the next level by scaling the frozen sections of the world’s largest flowing waterfall, Niagara Falls. Gadd, a world-renowned ice climber and paraglider from Alberta, Canada, has traveled to the ends of the earth to find the world’s most challenging climbs, but Niagara Falls, one of his home country‘s most iconic landmarks, is a lifelong mission that he previously thought impossible…until now. Full story of his historic ascent: http://www.redbull.com/us/en/adventure/stories/1331702397954/will-gadd-ice-climbing-niagara-falls