When Does Brophy Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 28, Ice-Out Apr 11
Brophy Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 28, and usually has ice-out around Apr 11, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2004-2014. That works out to roughly 231 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 Brophy Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 28 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 11 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 25, 2014 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 13, 2004 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 7, 2004 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 30, 2008 |
| Open-water season | ~231 days |
| Winters observed | 13 |
| Location | Douglas County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Brophy 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 Brophy Lake has landed as early as Apr 7, 2004 and as late as Apr 30, 2008 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 11 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 25, 2014 to Dec 13, 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 Brophy Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2004-2014.
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