When Does Jane Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Dec 6, Ice-Out Apr 9
Jane Lake in Washington County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Dec 6, and usually has ice-out around Apr 9, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1979-2015. That works out to roughly 241 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 Jane Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Dec 6 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 9 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Dec 3, 2004 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 20, 2001 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 31, 2015 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 19, 1979 |
| Open-water season | ~241 days |
| Winters observed | 11 |
| Location | Washington County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Jane 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 Jane Lake has landed as early as Mar 31, 2015 and as late as Apr 19, 1979 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 9 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Dec 3, 2004 to Dec 20, 2001. 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 Jane Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1979-2015.
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