When Does Big Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 26, Ice-Out Apr 11
Big Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 26, and usually has ice-out around Apr 11, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2004-2018. That works out to roughly 229 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 Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 26 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 11 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 14, 2014 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 14, 2004 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 1, 2017 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 1, 2018 |
| Open-water season | ~229 days |
| Winters observed | 15 |
| Location | Stearns County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Big 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 Lake has landed as early as Mar 1, 2017 and as late as May 1, 2018 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 11 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 14, 2014 to Dec 14, 2004. 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. The full nutrient and algae breakdown for Big Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2004-2018.
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