The folks that place the ice boom at the mouth of Lake Erie to hold back the ice from flooding the lower Niagara River now say it looks like the boom will not be released until early May.
This is significant because the sightseeing boats that operate below the falls won’t be able to launch until all the ice clears off the lake and runs down the Niagara River. Last year the boats went in the river April 7.
 
The latest the ice boom was removed was May 3, 1971.
 
Here’s a photo I took from the shoreline at Fort Erie of the boom.