When Does Fox Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Dec 18, Ice-Out Mar 22
Fox Lake in Martin County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Dec 18, and usually has ice-out around Mar 22, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2004-2018. That works out to roughly 271 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 Fox Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Dec 18 |
| Typical ice-out | Mar 22 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 22, 2007 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 12, 2017 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 27, 2018 |
| Open-water season | ~271 days |
| Winters observed | 13 |
| Location | Martin County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Fox 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 Fox Lake has landed as early as Mar 12, 2017 and as late as Apr 27, 2018 — a spread of weeks around the Mar 22 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 22, 2007 to Dec 21, 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. Fox Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of F — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2004-2018.