When Does Hook Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 27
Hook Lake in McLeod County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 27, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1998-2018. These are typical dates across many winters, not a forecast — individual years swing by weeks in either direction.
Ice record for Hook Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 27 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 10, 2018 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 19, 1998 |
| Winters observed | 19 |
| Location | McLeod County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Hook 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 10, 2018 to Dec 19, 1998. 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 Hook Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1998-2018.
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