Incredible photos show homes on Lake Erie encased in ice following holiday blizzard

Rebecca Corey
·Writer and Reporter
Updated ·2 min read
1.1k
A man walks his dog onto the shore of the lake, with a row of Victorian houses behind him totally frosted over with snow in beautiful regular fractal patterns. All windows are covered.
A resident and his dog walk by homes covered in ice at the waterfront community of Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, after a massive snow storm that knocked out power in the area to thousands of residents. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images)

Looking eerily like a snowy scene from the movie "Frozen," waterfront homes in the aptly named Crystal Beach were encased in ice after a blizzard that pummeled the area over the holiday weekend.

The community is located in Fort Erie, a town adjacent to Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada. The National Weather Service had forecast that winds over Lake Erie would reach 60 mph and waves could top 25 feet at the peak of the storm, CNN reported, pushing freezing water onto buildings along the coast of Lake Erie.

Behind two totally frosted houses on the shore, a house on the other side of the street is visible, iced with only a minimal amount of snow.
Houses on the lakefront along the shores of Lake Erie covered in ice on Tuesday. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Authorities urged caution as the cinematic frosty facades quickly became a hot spot for tourists.

"There are photos circulating of the ice covered lake front homes in #FortErie & #PortColborne," the Niagara Regional Police Service tweeted on Wednesday. "The problem is people are traveling to see them on roads that still have deep snow and closures. We have cars getting stuck & people walking on unsafe lake ice. Stay home – Stay safe."

In silhouette, someone takes photos of the frozen houses on Crystal Beach.
Someone snaps photos Wednesday of a scene of frozen houses in Crystal Beach. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images)

Fort Erie is located just west of Buffalo, N.Y., where "the blizzard of the century" left thousands without power and 34 people dead as of Wednesday.

Now, with temperatures in the Erie County area expected to rise into the 50s in the next few days, authorities are getting ready for all the ice and snow to start thawing. At a press conference on Wednesday, Erie County Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security Emergency Services Dan Neaverth Jr. said authorities are taking measures to prepare for possible flooding.

"We're focused on the potential for a rapid melt ... but we feel very comfortable," Neaverth said.

An aerial image taken by drone of the frozen-over houses and their frozen back lawns.
An image taken by drone of the Crystal Beach houses Tuesday. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)