When Does Indian Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 14, Ice-Out Mar 25
Indian Lake in Nobles County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 14, and usually has ice-out around Mar 25, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1993-2012. That works out to roughly 234 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 Indian Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 14 |
| Typical ice-out | Mar 25 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 10, 2002 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 24, 2003 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 15, 2012 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 12, 1993 |
| Open-water season | ~234 days |
| Winters observed | 10 |
| Location | Nobles County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Indian 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 Indian Lake has landed as early as Mar 15, 2012 and as late as Apr 12, 1993 — a spread of weeks around the Mar 25 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 10, 2002 to Nov 24, 2003. 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 Indian Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1993-2012.
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