It has been cold enough in the U.S. and Canada to turn Niagara Falls into a fairytale winter wonderland, with parts of the popular attraction freezing over.

While traveling to Niagara Falls right now may be more complicated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters photographers captured the grandeur of the frozen falls, as well as a gorgeous rainbow that emerged above the scene on Sunday.

Being that it sits at the border of the U.S. and Canada, an ice- and frost-covered Niagara Falls is not an uncommon winter sight. The falls themselves are too powerful to freeze, but the mist surrounding them tends to freeze in winter, covering everything within its reach in layers of ice.

Water going over the falls can also freeze, resulting in large sheets — sometimes 40 feet deep — of ice below. Ice bridges may appear when there's a long stretch of days with temperatures below zero, creating gorgeous formations that look almost like glaciers soaring several stories into the sky.

The idyllic winter scenes tend to emerge after long periods of freezing temperatures, similar to what many parts of the U.S. experienced last week. Temperatures in Niagara Falls, New York, were between 12 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit over the past weekend.

Meena Thiruvengadam is a Travel Leisure contributor who has visited 50 countries on six continents and 47 U.S. states. She loves historic plaques, wandering new streets and walking on beaches. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.

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