Rising temperatures over time are altering weather patterns and disrupting the natural balance of the environment. This has a direct impact on human life and all forms of life on Earth.
In the final days of 2022, the United States experienced one of the coldest Christmas nights in history due to a significant drop in temperatures caused by a snowstorm.
Niagara Falls is a natural border along the entire border between the United States and Canada.
The extreme weather phenomenon resulted in at least 60 fatalities in the U.S., with airports canceling over 5,000 flights on December 23, more than 3,400 flights on December 24, and over 2,800 flights on December 25. Meanwhile, according to the New York Post, nearly 2 million people faced power outages due to damaged power lines during the snowstorm. Power providers for at least 13 states in the U.S. advised residents to conserve electricity and lower heating temperatures from December 24 until noon on December 25 amidst a strained supply.
Experts stated that the snowstorm in the U.S. originated from a massive cold air mass pushing down from the Arctic, affecting much of the country, including many southern states that usually have a temperate climate.
The storm brought heavy rain, snowfall, and powerful winds in some areas. The frigid air from the Arctic combined with the winds made temperatures feel as low as -55°C, presenting numerous survival and rescue challenges.
The cause has been attributed to Arctic warming, which has disrupted the smooth flow of air currents around the Arctic. The warming temperatures in the Arctic can destabilize this polar vortex. Consequently, cold air, which is typically confined to the Arctic, expands southward. In the recent storm, the cold air reached as far as the Mexican border, over 3,000 km away.
However, contrary to the disaster’s impact on humanity, the most dangerous snowstorm in the past 50 years inadvertently created a stunning work of art, prompting many to brave the dangers to witness it firsthand.
Niagara Falls, located in the northeastern part of North America, serves as a natural border along the entire boundary between the United States and Canada. Niagara Falls was formed approximately 450 million years ago due to the fracturing and sliding of ancient continental plates, creating the North American continent we know today. After hundreds of millions of years of sedimentation, the water from Niagara Falls is now remarkably sediment-free, which allows the water flowing over the falls to be astonishingly clear.
Historically, Niagara Falls has frozen five times.
Under the influence of low outdoor temperatures, part of Niagara Falls froze, with ice covering the surrounding tourist area. Niagara Falls is the largest waterfall in North America in terms of both width and volume. Due to the continuous flow of a large amount of water, the waterfall partially froze instead of completely.
Many lucky witnesses to this extraordinary event were astonished, as they could essentially walk across the “ice path” of Niagara to reach the city of Buffalo in New York. Tourists and locals used to walk across this ice bridge to view the base of the falls until a tragic ice collapse occurred on February 4, 1912, resulting in three fatalities. Local authorities subsequently prohibited pedestrians from walking on the ice bridge.
