For the first time since 1936, Niagara Falls froze over after the US was hit by record freezing temperatures during the past week.
The legendary waterfall, located between the US and Canada, became rigid with ice after the temperature dropped to -30°F (-37 °C) in the area.
This past Tuesday, the temperatures around Niagara Falls reached a frigid -0°F (-19 °C), and because of the strong wind chill it felt like -20°F (-29 °C).
The polar temperatures hit all 50 states of North America, with temperatures below freezing being measured even in Hawaii, where a temperature of 20°F (-7 °C) was recorded at the top of the dormant volcano Mauna Kea.
The bizarre cold in the US and Canada led to record temperatures of -20°F (-30 °C), and windchill gave the feeling of -60°F (-50 °C).
New York beat its century-old record of low temperature on the 7th of January at 07:58 A.M. local time (12:58 GMT), when the thermometer dropped to 10°F (-15.5 °C).
The previous record was 10°F (-14.4 °C), registered 118 years ago on January 7th, 1896.
The number of victims claimed by the unusual severe cold and heavy snowfall in the US has reached 16. There have been deaths in the states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri.
Most of the victims have frozen to death, while some died in traffic accidents.
The Northeast and Midwest states were the hardest hit. Since Monday, 6000 flights were canceled and almost 20, 000 were postponed.
It is the most tense at the airports in Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, Indianapolis, Nashville and New York.
Meteorologists expect the cold to continue. According to their data, half the American states will have freezing temperatures on Wednesday. This means that 187 million people (almost 2/3 of the US population) will be caught up in the storm's path.
The federal authorities in Washington are monitoring the situation with the extreme temperatures and are ready to act if aid is needed.
