Crane Lake Water Temperature
Crane Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota averages about 59°F at the surface in summer — warmest in Sep (~61°F) and coldest in May (~56°F). These are typical values by month, not a live reading.
Typical water temperature by month
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 78 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. Months with too few readings are left blank.
Is Crane Lake warm enough to swim?
Wetsuit territory. Brief exposure is tolerable but prolonged swimming without protection risks hypothermia.
Want more than temperature? Crane Lake scored D on water quality — clarity, algae, phosphorus, depth, fish species, and swimming safety, all on one report card.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the water temperature of Crane Lake?
Crane Lake has a typical summer surface temperature of about 59°F. It is usually warmest in September (around 61°F) and coldest in May (around 56°F). These are typical values by month from 78 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025), not a live reading.
When is Crane Lake warmest?
Surface water at Crane Lake is typically warmest in September, reaching about 61°F. Lake surface temperature lags air temperature by several weeks, so the warmest water usually arrives in mid-to-late summer even though the hottest air can come earlier.
Is Crane Lake warm enough to swim?
At its typical summer peak of about 59°F, Crane Lake rates as "cold" for swimming. Wetsuit territory. Brief exposure is tolerable but prolonged swimming without protection risks hypothermia.
Where does this Crane Lake water temperature data come from?
Every temperature on this page is a typical (climatological) value computed from real surface-water field readings collected by state and federal agencies and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal — 78 readings from 1 monitoring station between 2016 and 2025. They describe what is typical for each month, not the temperature right now.
About this data
Water temperatures are a climatology — the typical value for each month, averaged from real surface-water field readings collected by state and federal agencies and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. They tell you what to expect, not the temperature at this moment. Actual conditions vary with recent weather, depth, and time of day.