‘Whole new world’ emerges as fierce weather transforms Lake Erie, Ohio photos show

Sunken formations emerged as fierce winter weather bore down on Ohio, transforming part of Lake Erie into a frigid and unfamiliar world, news outlets reported.

Barry Koehler, of Put-in-Bay, captured the rapid change on camera, sharing photos and video of the icy terrain in a Jan. 13 Facebook post. Massive boulders, overhangs, nooks and crannies normally submerged underwater were suddenly revealed, photos show.

In one image, a large rock formation can be seen jutting up from the surf, its thin base growing fuller toward the tree-covered top — like a tiny island standing on its last old but sturdy leg.

“It felt like I was walking on a different planet,” Koehler told WJW, adding that the water level is normally 6 to 9 feet higher and people were able to walk on parts of the lake bed.

“It was so exciting to see Lake Erie like that, it was like exploring a whole new world,” he told the station.

A unique weather phenomenon, called a seiche, is the cause, National Weather Service meteorologist Keith Jaszka told Cleveland.com. Strong winds push water from one part of a lake, or any body of water, to another part, sometimes uncovering shallower areas, he said.

“When the wind stops, the water rebounds to the other side of the enclosed area,” the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association said. “The water then continues to oscillate back and forth for hours or even days.”

This isn’t the first time Put-in-Bay has witnessed the effects of a seiche. Koehler took photos in 2022 that captured the island as it was a little less underwater, but in the grip of a brutal cold spell that covered seemingly every exposed surface in icicles.

Put-in-Bay is a community on South Bass Island, in Lake Erie, roughly 35 miles east of Toledo.

This story was originally published January 14, 2024 at 3:49 PM with the headline "‘Whole new world’ emerges as fierce weather transforms Lake Erie, Ohio photos show."