Travel

Here's What Niagara Falls Looks Like Right Now (PHOTOS)

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Ice and water flows over the American Falls, seen from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Tara Walton/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Ice and water flows over the American Falls, seen from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Tara Walton/The Canadian Press via AP)

It's that time of year again. The mist from Niagara Falls is currently forming an icy layer on nearby trees, railings and lamp posts, turning the surrounding area into a winter wonderland.

CNN reported that the extreme cold has caused the falls' rushing waters to halt in some locations. However, The Buffalo News was quick to explain that it's not completely frozen over, and even where it appears to be, water still flows underneath.

(MORE: Breathtaking Photos of the Coldest City in the World)

"Something moving as fast as the falls is extremely difficult to freeze," Stuart M. Evans, assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Buffalo told the paper.

However, it did happen, sort of, in 1848. Several days of gale force winds pushed some Lake Erie's ice floes to the mouth up the Niagara River, creating a sort of natural dam and stopping the flow of the river. The event shut down flour mills and factories along the banks that relied on water wheels for power. Tourist flocked to see the falls in a new light. The clog lasted about a day, then the water came roaring back down the falls.

The falls don't have to freeze over to be beautiful, and the photos above show just how otherworldly Niagara looks in winter.

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