The National Weather Service reports that Lake Erie is roughly 70% frozen over. Ice thickness varies between 2 and 12 inches ...
The 663-foot Manitoulin has been trapped in the ice fields off the shore of Buffalo, New York since Wednesday.
The 17-member crew of the freighter, stuck a mile off the Buffalo shore, was never in serious danger, but its predicament drew news media attention and a crowd of curious onlookers.