London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 17, 2026

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

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.

Lake water was splashed onto the houses by the wind

The lakefront houses were completely crystalised by the ice

Residents are worried, however, about the water pooling when it melts


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.’

The icy phenomena were down to a severe winter storm sweeping across Canada and the US

The ice clung to almost every part of the properties

Everything from Niagara Falls to lighthouses has been frozen by the big chill


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

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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Better.com Founder Who Fired 900 Employees on Zoom Is Ousted as CEO
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
AI Manager at San Francisco Store Recommends Firing Human Employee
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Campaigners Press Government to Strengthen Rights for Four Million Gig Workers
Government Considers Higher Private Rents to Spread Asylum Accommodation Across UK
UK Moves to Protect Historic Pubs From Conversion Into Housing and Offices
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to House of Commons
British Manufacturers Report Rising Cybersecurity Threats Across Industrial Supply Chains
Royal Navy Increases Monitoring of Russian Ships in UK Waters by 25 Percent
England Adds More Than 350 Medical Training Posts to Strengthen NHS Capacity
NHS Waiting Lists Over 52 Weeks Rise by More Than 11,000 Patients
Brent Crude Near $88 Raises Fresh UK Energy Cost Concerns
UK Treasury Warns Prolonged Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Cut 2027 Growth to 0.3 Percent
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Energy and Inflation Risks Persist
UK Heatwave Triggers Emergency Alert as Government Unveils £65 Million Farm Support Package
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
×