When Does Osakis Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Dec 1, Ice-Out Apr 19
Osakis Lake in Todd County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Dec 1, and usually has ice-out around Apr 19, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1950-2024. That works out to roughly 226 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 Osakis Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Dec 1 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 19 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 27, 2007 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 9, 2016 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 8, 2024 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 14, 1950 |
| Open-water season | ~226 days |
| Winters observed | 431 |
| Location | Todd County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Osakis 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 Osakis Lake has landed as early as Mar 8, 2024 and as late as May 14, 1950 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 19 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 27, 2007 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 Osakis Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1950-2024.
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