When Does Leora Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 19, Ice-Out Apr 21
Leora Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 19, and usually has ice-out around Apr 21, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2003-2020. That works out to roughly 212 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 Leora Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 19 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 21 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 8, 2003 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 5, 2004 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 12, 2005 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 24, 2020 |
| Open-water season | ~212 days |
| Winters observed | 7 |
| Location | St. Louis County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Leora 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 Leora Lake has landed as early as Apr 12, 2005 and as late as Apr 24, 2020 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 21 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 8, 2003 to Dec 5, 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 Leora Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2003-2020.
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