TOPSHOT - A person walks by homes covered in ice at the waterfront community of Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, on December 28, 2022, following a massive snow storm that knocked out power in the area to thousands of residents. (Photo by Cole Burston / AFP) (Photo by COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

Lake houses don’t even look real after being covered in ice during winter storm


Crystal Beach in Canada is truly living up to its name as a massive winter storm last week left it coated in ice.

The lakefront community in Fort Erie, Ontario, is close to the border of New York city Buffalo which has been especially battered by the blizzard.

Looking like it was straight out of the Disney film Frozen, Crystal Beach has been dusted by snow and ice, blanketing rooftops, windows, sheds and cars.

Province officials have issued a weather warning due to the powerfully frigid winds and piles upon piles of snow.

Nearly 15,000 Fort Erie residents were left without power over the weekend, with a December 26 update from Canadian Niagara Power saying nearly 4,000 people are still without electricity.

The gusts have proved so intense that they threw water onto a row of buildings sitting on the lakefront.

In this image taken by drone, houses along the shores of Lake Erie, near Fort Erie, Ontario, remain covered in ice Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, following a winter storm that swept through much of Ontario. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Lake water was splashed onto the houses by the wind (Picture: AP)
People walk between frozen homes in the waterfront community of Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, on December 28, 2022, following a massive snow storm that knocked out power in the area to thousands of residents. (Photo by Cole Burston / AFP) (Photo by COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
The lakefront houses were completely crystalised by the ice (Picture: AFP)
Zuma via PA Images December 27, 2022, Fort Erie, ON, Canada: People walk the shoreline of Lake Erie, near Fort Erie, Ont., Tuesday, December 27, 2022, following a winter storm that swept through much of Ontario. (Credit Image: ? Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via ZUMA Press)
Residents are worried, however, about the water pooling when it melts (Picture: The Canadian Press)

Resident Derek Tupling told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday: ‘(The waves) were coming up over the break wall. They were probably 10, 15 feet high, up above the break wall.

‘Then the water has frozen up the backsides of the houses, so from the tops of the houses all the way down.

‘So, you can just imagine the sheer volume and strength of water coming up over the wall to hit it and then freeze – flash freeze – immediately. It’s absolutely incredible.’

Tupling said the ice on the backs of the home is at least a foot thick, raising fears of the pooling water that could follow when it thaws.

‘We’ve been here for a long time and have never seen weather as bad as that over that period of time,’ he added.

‘The damage that’s been caused and the destruction on the backsides of these houses of where we are now is unbelievable.’

Houses along the shores of Lake Erie, near Fort Erie, Ontario, remain covered in ice Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, following a winter storm that swept through much of Ontario. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)
The icy phenomena were down to a severe winter storm sweeping across Canada and the US (Picture: AP)
Ice clings to the facade of frozen homes in the waterfront community of Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, on December 28, 2022, following a massive snow storm that knocked out power in the area to thousands of residents. (Photo by Cole Burston / AFP) (Photo by COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
The ice clung to almost every part of the properties (Picture: AFP)
TOPSHOT - A person walks by homes covered in ice at the waterfront community of Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, on December 28, 2022, following a massive snow storm that knocked out power in the area to thousands of residents. (Photo by Cole Burston / AFP) (Photo by COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Everything from Niagara Falls to lighthouses has been frozen by the big chill (Picture: AFP)

Many Crystal Beach locals were left in disbelief waking up to the whiteout conditions – and they certainly weren’t alone.

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Tourists were stunned to see the mighty Niagara Falls had almost frozen solid due to the cold, while the deep freeze iced a lighthouse into a sculpture.

Though this has all come with a heavy price.

The death toll from the brutal bomb cyclone – an uncommon yet powerful winter storm – has reached more than 60/

Officials have said the storm, which collided with the region on December 23 and lasted roughly 36 hours, is one of the worst in recent memory.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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