When Does Itasca Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 19, Ice-Out Apr 23
Itasca Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 19, and usually has ice-out around Apr 23, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1950-2016. That works out to roughly 210 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 Itasca Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 19 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 23 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Oct 25, 1983 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 9, 2016 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 26, 2012 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 18, 1950 |
| Open-water season | ~210 days |
| Winters observed | 245 |
| Location | Clearwater County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Itasca 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 Itasca Lake has landed as early as Mar 26, 2012 and as late as May 18, 1950 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 23 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Oct 25, 1983 to Dec 9, 2016. 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 Itasca Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1950-2016.
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