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Stunning drone footage shows a lighthouse transformed into a giant ice sculpture by the once-in-a-generation winter storm which has plunged much of the US into a deep freeze.

More than 60 have died in extreme weather-related incidents across the country, while hordes of Christmas holidaymakers’ plans were ruined when thousands of flights were cancelled.

But amid the chaos were scenes of incredible natural artwork, including the sight of Niagara Falls almost completely frozen over.

Along the shores of Lake Michigan, sub-zero temperatures saw buildings, piers and pieces of beach furniture encased in thick ice.

Nathan Voytovick, who runs the Midwest & Great Lakes Storm Chasers YouTube account, posted footage showing the St Joseph Lighthouse transformed into a huge ice sculpture.

Incredible footage also emerged of a shop covered in ice from the waves washing over it in the biting cold conditions.

Similar scenery lined Lake Erie, where a restaurant was completely covered in icicles when the temperature plummeted.

Photos also show a row of houses buried by the heavy snowfall.

And in New York, a fountain in the city’s Bryant Park was frozen solid by the Arctic chill.

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Confirmed storm-related deaths in the Erie and Niagara counties rose to 32 on Tuesday, officials said, as snowfall began to taper off.

Emergency crews continued locating and removing vehicles left buried under mounds of snow and drifts several feet high.

Some of the dead were found frozen in cars, others in snowbanks outdoors, while some died in medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest while shovelling snow, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told reporters.

‘We’re recovering from the worst storm I’ve ever seen, certainly in terms of death from Mother Nature’s wrath,’ he said.

Nationwide, at least 60 people died in weather-related incidents in recent days, NBC News reported.

In and around Buffalo, up to 52 inches of snow fell over four days, and a bit more was expected by Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The NWS forecast a rapid thaw later this week, with spring-like temperatures well above freezing and well above normal.

But with the relief comes the risk of flooding and the grim possibility of melting snow revealing more victims.

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