The deadly cold snap that has taken over large parts of America has reached Niagara Falls as the iconic waterfall begins to freeze over.

As temperatures dip to extremes of -40C in parts of America, the temperature plummeted in Canada as the government issued a cold weather warning with recorded figures of -30C. Such are the dangers, authorities have warned people in the area to remain inside and, if forced to leave the house, “not to breathe deeply” in what has been described as a “deadly polar vortex”.

It was only last week that Far Out reported the news that Chicago’s Lake Michigan, one of the five ‘Great Lakes’ of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States, has already frozen over. Now, the cold snap is taking effect on the Niagara River, which connects two of the Great Lakes, as sections begin to freeze.

Weather service meteorologist Brian Hurley told the Mail: “If you live up in the Arctic Circle, you’d say this is pretty normal. When it’s actually brought down to this level, that’s when you know it’s something serious.”

While meteorologist, Tyler Hasenstein, explained: “I think the proper term is nasty cold.

“We are very confident this cold is going to be significant… People are right to be concerned.”

According to a statement issued by Niagara Falls Tourism, the ‘Horseshoe Falls’, ‘Bridal Veil Falls’ and ‘American Falls’ are all currently taken over by snow and ice. While it would be near impossible to freeze the entirity of the flowing water, David Adames, acting C.E.O. for the Niagara Parks Commission in Ontario told the Forbes: “During particularly cold temperatures, the mist and spray begin to form a crust of ice over top of the rushing water.”

Here, the spectacle has been captured by locals:

WATCH: Stunning view of the icy Niagara Falls https://t.co/vPnrdZn8v6 pic.twitter.com/DxpXSIkSfS — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) January 30, 2019