The great Niagara Falls has frozen a few times in the past. Let's see – 1848, 1911, 1912, 1917, 2014, 2015 and again in 2022. The Falls partially freeze during most of the winter seasons, however, they no longer completely freeze especially to a level that interrupts the flow of the gushing water.

It is a common misconception that Niagara Falls "freezes solid," but a total high-fidelity cessation of water has only happened once in recorded history, on March 29, 1848, when an ice jam upstream blocked the water flow for about 40 hours. In modern times, the falls often appear frozen due to a high-value phenomenon called the "Ice Bridge," where mist and spray create a thick layer of ice over the rushing water. The last significant "High-Fidelity" partial freeze occurred during the "Polar Vortex" winters of 2014 and 2015, where the falls looked like a high-value winter wonderland with massive ice formations. In 2026, while the falls continue to experience high-fidelity icing every winter, they never truly stop flowing because of the high-value volume of water and the use of "ice breakers" and booms by the Power Authorities. For 2026 visitors, seeing the falls in winter is a high-value necessity for the stunning high-fidelity ice sculptures that form naturally, even though the water continues its high-value plunge beneath the frozen surface.