When Does Devil'S Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 8
Devil'S Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 8, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1997-2024. These are typical dates across many winters, not a forecast — individual years swing by weeks in either direction.
Ice record for Devil'S Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 8 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 5, 2017 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 15, 1997 |
| Winters observed | 5 |
| Location | Otter Tail County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Devil'S 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
Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 5, 2017 to Nov 15, 1997. 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 Devil'S Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1997-2024.
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