When Does Big Cormorant Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 29, Ice-Out Apr 19
Big Cormorant Lake in Becker County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 29, and usually has ice-out around Apr 19, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1990-2013. That works out to roughly 224 days of open water a year. These are typical dates across many winters, not a forecast — individual years swing by weeks in either direction.
Ice record for Big Cormorant Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 29 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 19 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 11, 1990 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 19, 2001 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 2, 2010 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 15, 2013 |
| Open-water season | ~224 days |
| Winters observed | 76 |
| Location | Becker County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Big Cormorant Lake has usually iced over — it does not tell you the ice is safe, and we hold no thickness measurement for this or any lake. The Minnesota DNR is explicit that no ice is ever completely safe: thickness varies across a single lake, and current, springs, aerators, and insulating snow all weaken it. Ice that held a truck last week may not hold a person today.
Read the ice-thickness guidelines before going out, and check current conditions with the Minnesota DNR ice-safety page and local bait shops, which track conditions lake by lake.
How much the timing varies
Ice-out on Big Cormorant Lake has landed as early as Apr 2, 2010 and as late as May 15, 2013 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 19 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 11, 1990 to Dec 19, 2001. That year-to-year swing is why a median date is a planning tool, not a schedule. Freeze-up is driven by accumulated cold after the lake turns over in fall; ice-out by late-winter air temperature, sun angle, and how much snow sits on top of the ice reflecting it. Big Cormorant Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of A — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1990-2013.