When Does Sullivan Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 30, Ice-Out Apr 19
Sullivan Lake in Morrison County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 30, and usually has ice-out around Apr 19, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1996-2023. That works out to roughly 225 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 Sullivan Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 30 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 19 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 27, 2023 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 20, 2001 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 19, 2012 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 29, 1996 |
| Open-water season | ~225 days |
| Winters observed | 33 |
| Location | Morrison County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Sullivan 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 Sullivan Lake has landed as early as Mar 19, 2012 and as late as Apr 29, 1996 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 19 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 27, 2023 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 Sullivan Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1996-2023.
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