Fisherman Rescued From Deadly Erie Ice Floe

The Washington Post reports today that 134 ice fisherman were stranded on Lake Erie Saturday when rapidly warming temperatures caused them to be part of an ice floe that broke from the shore. The ice was cracked when they ventured on to it, and the sheriff called their actions "idiotic". Unfortunately one fisherman fell to his death in the icy waters before the rest were rescued. Here is video footage from our affiliates:

The article says:"Ice on western sections of Lake Erie was as much as two feet thick Saturday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Randel said. The ice cracked as temperatures rose into the 40s and winds of up to 35 mph pushed on the ice.

The location was near Oak Harbor, Ohio [Google Map]. Officially, the coastal station in Toledo, OH, to the west of Oak Harbor, reported winds to 29 knots (33 mph / graph) and South Bass Island, to the east, showed 32 knots (37 mph / graph). But an Ohio D.O.T. weather station at "152-SR-2@28.5 Bay Br." near the scene indicated gusts to 41 mph from the Southeast, raising temperatures from 29 the night before to 48 at mid-day (see graph below).