A brutal winter storm that some have dubbed the 'blizzard of the century' has left nearly 60 people dead across the United States. Several videos and pictures have emerged from the country showing vehicles completely covered with a thick layer of snow and residents trapped inside ice-encrusted homes. Now, a video of an upscale New York restaurant entirely encased in ice has emerged.
Notably, the restaurant sits on the shore of Lake Erie in an area hard-hit by last week's historic storm. Photos and videos show Hoak's Lakeshore Restaurant in Hamburg, encased in giant icicles stretching several feet long, covering windows, doors, and balconies. Some even said that it looks like an ''Ice Castle.''
Watch the videos and pictures here:
Another video showed lake's waves crashing on the snow-covered rocks by the restaurant.
Kevin Hoak, the restaurant's owner, said the storm started building icicles on the building on Friday. He told WFLA, ''So it started on Friday. I'd say probably around 8, or 9 in the morning and it was sundowner winds splashing against the restaurant, against the foundation and eventually, it froze over because it was so cold because it went from like 45 degrees Fahrenheit to about 12 degrees Fahrenheit.''
However, the owner said his business was not only unharmed by the freak weather coating, but it was actually shielded by it. ''And as you can see, it actually protected the restaurant by a dropping so low in temperature, because it is acting as a barrier and protecting the restaurant foundation," Mr Hoak said. He now plans to quickly remove the ice so it doesn't melt and cause more damage to the restaurant's structure.
The extreme weather that gripped the United States over several days, caused widespread power outages, travel delays, and several deaths. The sub-zero temperatures have also caused Niagara Falls to partially freeze.
