The Polar Vortex that froze Niagara Falls in the United States and Canada made much news in the first week of January. It was a cold start to the year and brought some of the coldest winters to many parts of the northern hemisphere, even as the southern hemisphere experienced a blazing summer. While snow and ice are commonly seen on the Niagara Falls, it is not always that the waterfall completely freezes over. On the other hand, frozen waterfalls are a common feature of winter landscapes in Iceland, Scandinavia, Siberia and the northerly reaches of Zanskar in Ladakh.