Delayed early-winter ice development and a mild winter led to extraordinarily early lake
ice-out dates in 2000. White Bear Lake in Ramsey County was ice free on March 21, the
earliest ice-out date in its 72 year record. Lake Minnetonka in Hennepin County lost its
ice on March 18, the second earliest ice-out date in a 123 year record. March ice-out
dates are rare for Lake Minnetonka, occurring only six times prior to 2000. The ice-out
date for Lake Osakis of Todd/Douglas counties was March 24, the second earliest ever, and
only the third time in 130 years that ice-out occurred in March. The April 2 ice-out date
for Mille Lacs and Gull lakes is more than three weeks earlier than their long-term
averages, a very rare occurrence.The definition of lake ice-out varies from lake to
lake, and individual to individual. For some, ice-out occurs only when the lake is
completely free of ice. For others, ice-out is defined as the moment when navigation is
possible from point A to point B. And yet for others, ice-out is when 90 percent of the
lake is ice free. Due to the variable definitions of this rather subjective observation,
the State Climatology Office attempts to contact the same individuals each year to
maintain a consistent record. The table below depicts the information obtained by this
informal poll in the year 2000.
Historical averages and extremes have been
calculated for lakes in highlighted in green.
Northwest
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Bronson |
Kittson |
out - Apr 1 |
| Cormorant |
Becker |
out - Apr 5 |
| Detroit |
Becker |
out - Apr 3 |
| Red
(Lower) |
Beltrami |
out - Apr 12 |
|
North Central
|
Northeast
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Fall |
Lake |
out - Apr 15 |
| Island |
St. Louis |
out - Apr 5 |
| Saganaga |
Cook |
out |
| Snowbank |
Lake |
out |
| Sturgeon |
St. Louis |
out - Apr 13 |
| Vermillion |
St. Louis |
out - Apr 21 |
|
West Central
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Big Stone |
Big Stone |
out - Mar 22 |
| Minnewaska |
Pope |
out - Mar 23 |
| Osakis |
Todd |
out - Mar 24 |
| Ottertail |
Ottertail |
out - Apr 3 |
| Swan |
Traverse |
out - Mar 15 |
| Traverse |
Traverse |
out - Mar 15 |
| West Battle |
Ottertail |
out - Mar 31 |
|
Central
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Fish Trap |
Morrison |
out - Mar 26 |
| Green |
Kandiyo. |
out - Mar 24 |
| Gull |
Cass |
out - Apr 2 |
| Pulaski |
Wright |
out - Mar 21 |
| Rice |
Stearns |
out - Mar 20 |
| Sullivan |
Morrison |
out - Mar 24 |
|
East Central
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Big Sandy |
Aitkin |
out - Mar 31 |
| Forest |
Washing. |
out - Mar 18 |
| Knife |
Kanabec |
out - Mar 27 |
| Medicine |
Hennepin |
out - Mar 9 |
| Mille Lacs |
M. Lacs |
out - Apr 2 |
| Minnetonka |
Hennepin |
out - Mar 18 |
| Rush |
Chisago |
out - Mar 25 |
| Waconia |
Hennepin |
out - Mar 15 |
| White Bear |
Ramsey |
out - Mar 21 |
|
Southwest
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Sarah |
Murray |
out - Mar 6 |
| Shetek |
Murray |
out - Mar 8 |
|
South Central
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Albert Lea |
Freeborn |
out - Mar 5 |
| Budd |
Martin |
out - Mar 6 |
| Clear |
Waseca |
out - Mar 7 |
| Sakatah |
Le Seuer |
out - Mar 11 |
|
Southeast
| Name |
County |
Status |
| Pepin |
Wabasha |
out - Feb 29 |
|
 Return to the
Minnesota Climatology Working Group Main Page
mcwg@soils.umn.edu
URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/ice_out/ice_out_status_00.htm
Last modified: May 1, 2000
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