Four people died over the long New Year's weekend as a record-shattering Arctic freeze kept its grip on much of the eastern United States.  

The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagra Falls have been frozen solid for days and, coast to coast, a record-shattering Arctic freeze is gripping much of the US.

The dangerous cold is being blamed for at least four deaths.

Many school districts have cancelled classes.

In Massachusetts, firefighters were covered in ice as they battled a house fire.

In Washington, D.C., crews used a flare to thaw a frozen ladder.

And in Arkansas, the bitter cold turned this fountain into ice from top to bottom.

While some places called off their annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the tradition continued.

The cold snap is expected to ease across most of the country after Tuesday.

But the Northeast is due for another arctic blast by the end of the week.