Ice on Bay of Quinte separated from shore leaving 3 people stranded

Three people made it to safety after the ice they were on in Shannonville, Ont. separated from shore on Wednesday, the Ontario Provincial Police said.

Police say they received a call around 3 p.m. from one of the three people.

However, they eventually made it to safety when strong winds blew them to the east, bringing them into shore at Beach Road, police note.

People are reminded to stay off the ice, as “no ice is safe.”

“The winter weather has not been typical and ice conditions have been unpredictable and inconsistent,” police said, noting that ice is affected by weather and other factors, including the depth of water, currents and other moving waters.

Meanwhile, Environment and Climate Change Canada says this past February was more than four degrees warmer than average in Ontario.

The weather agency notes February was the third consecutive month where mean temperatures were above normal across the province.

"As with all months this winter, cold spells were somewhat rare and rather brief," it said.

Looking ahead to March, Environment and Climate Change Canada says temperatures in Ontario are expected to be warmer than normal again, especially in southern and northeastern Ontario. There is no clear signal on whether precipitation will be higher or lower than normal for eastern Ontario, though the north is expected to be wetter than usual.

With files from Ted Raymond