FROZEN FALLS: It’s been a blisteringly cold winter season. So cold, in fact, that portions of Niagara Falls have frozen over, and that’s not easy.
The new year brought in the coldest Jan. 1 recorded in Niagara Falls, with a temperature of -14 degrees. But not even the record breaking New Year temperature could freeze Niagara Falls entirely — but it has happened before.
Back in 1848, the water flow of the falls stopped completely. But it didn’t happen due to the freezing of the falls alone. An ice jam consisting of millions of tons of ice blocked the Niagara River from flowing to the falls.
Witness accounts at the time all mentioned one specific thing about the rare occurrence — the disturbing amount of silence. Waterfalls usually make a booming sound when cascading over. But on this infamous day, not a single drop of water could be heard for several hours.
As many locals know, Niagara Falls is the collective name for three different waterfalls — the Horseshoe Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and the American Falls. The Horseshoe Falls is on the American/ Canadian border, while the Bridal Veil and American falls are both in the United States.
According to the New York State Park Service, Niagara Falls State Park stretches over 400 acres, with close to 140 acres under water.
The water falls at 32 feet per second, hitting the base of the falls with 280 tons of force at the American and Bridal Veil falls, and 2,509 tons of force at the Horseshoe Falls. That’s 3,160 tons of water flowing over Niagara Falls every second, which accounts for 75,750 gallons of water per second over the American and Bridal Veil falls and 681,750 gallons per second over the Horseshoe Falls.
Four of the five Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie — drain into the Niagara River before emptying into Lake Ontario. The five Great Lakes make up almost one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply, the park service says.
