The Utah-based company behind North America’s spectacular annual ice castle attractions has been forced to close down three of its 2016 structures early due to warmer-than-expected temperatures and rainy conditions.

In January this year, the Ice Castles company created frosty new towers in Lincoln, New Hampshire; Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Midway, Utah; and Alberta, Canada.

However, all but the first have now closed after starting to deteriorate in unfavourable weather conditions. It had been hoped the attractions would remain open until March, when on-site temperatures usually rise.

Every year the ice castles – which can reach up to 65ft tall (20m) – have to be maintained with the daily addition of up to 20 tons of ice, formed of thousands of harvested icicles. These are placed throughout the castles in lattice formations and sprayed with water, which gradually freezes to the structures creating stalactite-like formations.

This year’s castles featured icy tunnels, LED-lit towers, canyons, slides, throne rooms, waterfalls, archways and caves for visitors to explore.

“We're extremely disappointed that we are having to close early, but as the weather changes, so must our plans,” said Ice Castles in a statement announcing the closure of the Minnesota attraction on 20 February. “The safety and enjoyment of our guests is extremely important to us. Thank you for your understanding, and thank you all for a wonderful season."

The Ice Castles project first began in 2008 when company founder Brent Christnesen moved his family from California to Utah. He created an ice rink outside their new house with a connected slide and cave. From there, his creations became larger and more ambitious and he began replicating the model around the country. Christensen’s ice castles have drawn over 750,000 visitors since 2010.

Other popular ice attractions around the world include Hôtel de Glace in Canada and Sweden’s famous temporary Icehotel, which is adding a new extension that harnasses solar energy to prevent it from melting