When Does West Leaf Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 15, Ice-Out Apr 15
West Leaf Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 15, and usually has ice-out around Apr 15, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2003-2023. That works out to roughly 214 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 West Leaf Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 15 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 15 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 12, 2019 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 24, 2003 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 7, 2004 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 30, 2023 |
| Open-water season | ~214 days |
| Winters observed | 7 |
| Location | Otter Tail County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when West Leaf 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 West Leaf Lake has landed as early as Apr 7, 2004 and as late as Apr 30, 2023 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 15 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 12, 2019 to Nov 24, 2003. 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. West Leaf Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of B — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2003-2023.