When Does South Sturgeon Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 18, Ice-Out Apr 21
South Sturgeon Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 18, and usually has ice-out around Apr 21, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1996-2019. That works out to roughly 211 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 South Sturgeon Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 18 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 21 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 1, 2019 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 30, 2011 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 31, 2000 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 10, 1996 |
| Open-water season | ~211 days |
| Winters observed | 42 |
| Location | St. Louis County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when South Sturgeon 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 South Sturgeon Lake has landed as early as Mar 31, 2000 and as late as May 10, 1996 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 21 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 1, 2019 to Nov 30, 2011. 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 South Sturgeon Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1996-2019.
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