The coldest winter in 10 years filled the Yellow River's Hukou Waterfall with chunks of ice and reduced its majestic fall from 28 to only 3 meters on Wednesday.

The falls are located in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

Since January is the coldest month in northern China and low temperatures are forecasted for the latter part of the month, the ice is expected to thicken, closing the river to an even greater extent.

Local residents and businesses along the river are preparing to relocate at a moment's notice in the event that the ice build-up threatens their security.

The Yellow River, China's second longest, originates in Qinghai Province and flows through Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan, before passing through Shandong and entering Bohai Bay.