When does ice-out happen in Minnesota?

Across 948 Minnesota lakes with enough observations to average, typical ice-out ranges from around Mar 16 (Crystal Lake, Rice County) to around May 14 (Deer Yard Lake, Cook County). Southern and shallower lakes open first; deep northern lakes hold ice weeks longer. Any single year can run weeks early or late.

When do Minnesota lakes freeze over?

Typical freeze-up across 762 Minnesota lakes runs from around Nov 6 (Pomme de Terre Lake) to around Dec 21 (St James Lake). Small shallow lakes lock up first; large deep lakes hold heat and can stay open into late December or beyond.

Ice-out is the date a lake is declared substantially free of ice. Observers report it lake by lake, and it is the date fishing openers, dock installation, and boat launches key off. It is not the day the last ice disappears — definitions vary slightly by observer, which is one reason a single year's date is less useful than a median across many winters.

Is the ice safe on Minnesota lakes right now?

This page cannot tell you that. It reports historical freeze and thaw dates, not current conditions, and we hold no ice-thickness measurement for any lake. The Minnesota DNR states there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice, and that thickness varies widely across a single lake. Measure the ice yourself as you go out and read the agency ice-thickness guidelines first.

Minnesota Ice Out Dates: When 972 Lakes Freeze and Thaw

972

Lakes with ice records

Mar 16

Earliest typical ice-out

May 14

Latest typical ice-out

Nov 6

Earliest typical freeze-up

First to Freeze in Minnesota

Lakes with the earliest typical freeze-up date.

#	Lake	County	Typical freeze-up	Winters
1	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	Nov 6	7
2	Stewart Lake	Lake	Nov 7	5
3	Devil'S Lake	Otter Tail	Nov 8	5
4	Roy Lake	Mahnomen	Nov 9	8
5	Shoal Lake	Itasca	Nov 10	7
6	Sand Hill Lake	Polk	Nov 10	5
7	Ghost Lake	Itasca	Nov 10	5
8	Holly Lake	Cook	Nov 11	11
9	Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	Nov 12	17
10	Sawbill Lake	Cook	Nov 12	14
11	Orchard Lake	Dakota	Nov 12	9
12	Hoff Lake	Meeker	Nov 12	7
13	Big Bass Lake	Beltrami	Nov 12	6
14	Midge Lake	Hubbard	Nov 13	75
15	Owl Lake	Hubbard	Nov 13	44
16	Buck Lake	Itasca	Nov 13	21
17	Crystal Lake	Cass	Nov 13	15
18	Dora Lake	Itasca	Nov 13	15
19	Colby Lake	St. Louis	Nov 13	14
20	Clear Lake	Itasca	Nov 13	11
21	Gander Lake	Lake	Nov 13	10
22	White Lake	St. Louis	Nov 13	8
23	Island Lake	Itasca	Nov 13	6
24	Leech Lake	Cass	Nov 14	74
25	Boy Bay Lake	Cass	Nov 14	74

Last to Freeze in Minnesota

Lakes that hold open water longest — typically the largest and deepest, which store more summer heat.

#	Lake	County	Typical freeze-up	Winters
1	St James Lake	Watonwan	Dec 21	16
2	Manuella Lake	Meeker	Dec 18	18
3	Fox Lake	Martin	Dec 18	13
4	Ten Mile Lake	Otter Tail	Dec 17	10
5	Long Lake	Hubbard	Dec 16	68
6	Little Chippewa Lake	Douglas	Dec 16	9
7	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	Dec 15	27
8	Josephine Lake	Ramsey	Dec 15	24
9	Belle Lake	Meeker	Dec 14	14
10	Cedar Lake	Wright	Dec 13	79
11	Latoka Lake	Douglas	Dec 12	43
12	Diamond Lake	Hennepin	Dec 12	14
13	Mitchell Lake	Crow Wing	Dec 12	13
14	Irene Lake	Douglas	Dec 12	12
15	Bde Maka Ska Lake	Hennepin	Dec 11	154
16	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	Dec 11	91
17	Charlotte Lake	Wright	Dec 11	25
18	Mcmahon Lake	Scott	Dec 11	15
19	Bloody Lake	Murray	Dec 11	10
20	Harriet Lake	Hennepin	Dec 10	160
21	Roosevelt Lake	Cass	Dec 10	41
22	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	Dec 10	34
23	Big Lake	Sherburne	Dec 10	23
24	Hiawatha Lake	Hennepin	Dec 10	21
25	Mary Lake	Crow Wing	Dec 10	12

Earliest Ice-Out in Minnesota

The first lakes to open in spring.

#	Lake	County	Typical ice-out	Winters
1	Crystal Lake	Rice	Mar 16	3
2	Deans Lake	Scott	Mar 18	9
3	Manor Woods Pond	Olmsted	Mar 18	6
4	Pike Lake	Scott	Mar 19	15
5	Little Tuttle Lake	Martin	Mar 20	14
6	State Line Lake	Freeborn	Mar 20	5
7	Terrapin Lake	Washington	Mar 20	4
8	Mays Lake	Washington	Mar 20	4
9	Hall Lake	Martin	Mar 21	29
10	Clear Lake	Martin	Mar 21	9
11	Cottonwood Lake	Lyon	Mar 21	9
12	Fox Lake	Martin	Mar 22	13
13	Round Lake	Anoka	Mar 22	9
14	Goose Lake	Ramsey	Mar 22	7
15	North Silver Lake	Martin	Mar 23	30
16	Union Lake	Rice	Mar 23	12
17	Klawitter Pond	Washington	Mar 23	12
18	Ann Lake	Sherburne	Mar 24	3
19	South Silver Lake	Martin	Mar 25	40
20	Mud Lake	Martin	Mar 25	27
21	Mcmahon Lake	Scott	Mar 25	15
22	German Lake	Le Sueur	Mar 25	10
23	Indian Lake	Nobles	Mar 25	10
24	Thole Lake	Scott	Mar 25	4
25	Snyder Lake	Hennepin	Mar 25	4

Latest Ice-Out in Minnesota

The last lakes to open — usually deep or far north.

#	Lake	County	Typical ice-out	Winters
1	Deer Yard Lake	Cook	May 14	5
2	Esther Lake	Cook	May 13	4
3	Crescent Lake	Cook	May 12	3
4	Kane Lake	Lake	May 9	6
5	Greenwood Lake	Cook	May 8	25
6	Holly Lake	Cook	May 8	11
7	South Twin Lake	Beltrami	May 8	5
8	Devil Track Lake	Cook	May 7	56
9	Sawbill Lake	Cook	May 7	14
10	Caribou Lake	Itasca	May 7	9
11	Moose Lake	Lake	May 7	4
12	Gunflint Lake	Cook	May 6	87
13	Trout Lake	Cook	May 6	8
14	East Bearskin Lake	Cook	May 6	3
15	Mountain Lake	Unknown	May 5	51
16	Rove Lake	Cook	May 5	51
17	Hungry Jack Lake	Cook	May 5	24
18	Brule Lake	Cook	May 5	8
19	Medicine Lake	Beltrami	May 5	6
20	Basswood Lake	Lake	May 5	6
21	Big Traverse Bay Lake	Lake of the Woods	May 5	6
22	Lake of the Woods	Lake of the Woods	May 5	6
23	Low Lake	Lake of the Woods	May 5	6
24	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	May 4	107
25	Tait Lake	Cook	May 4	28

Longest Ice Season in Minnesota

Fewest open-water days per year.

#	Lake	County	Open-water days	Ice-covered days
1	Holly Lake	Cook	187	178
2	Sawbill Lake	Cook	189	176
3	Shoal Lake	Itasca	191	174
4	Kane Lake	Lake	195	170
5	Roy Lake	Mahnomen	196	169
6	Tait Lake	Cook	198	167
7	Johnson Lake	Lake	199	166
8	Medicine Lake	Beltrami	199	166
9	Leech Lake	Cass	200	165
10	Boy Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
11	Portage Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
12	Traders Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
13	Headquarters Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
14	Sucker Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
15	Walker Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
16	Agency Bay Lake	Cass	200	165
17	Devil Track Lake	Cook	200	165
18	Bassett Lake	St. Louis	200	165
19	Perch Lake	St. Louis	200	165
20	Gander Lake	Lake	200	165
21	Lax Lake	Lake	202	163
22	Island Lake	Itasca	202	163
23	Toad Lake	Becker	203	162
24	Pleasant Lake	St. Louis	203	162
25	Hungry Jack Lake	Cook	204	161

These are dates, not ice conditions

A typical freeze-up date tells you roughly when a lake has iced over in past winters. It says nothing about whether the ice is safe today, and we hold no thickness measurement for any lake. Read the ice thickness guidelines and measure it yourself before going out.

All ice-out dates →All Minnesota lakes →Ice safety guide →

Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records.