Winter storm warnings continue in northern Minnesota 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

The ice is out on Lake Minnetonka and White Bear Lake Tuesday. 

The Hennepin County Sheriff and Freshwater Society declared Lake Minnetonka ice out, meaning there’s no ice left on the lake, at 1:13 p.m. Tuesday. That’s more than two weeks ahead of the median date of April 14. 

Twin Cities bellwether White Bear Lake in the northeast Twin Cities is also ice-free. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 

 reported Monday as White Bear Lake’s ice out date.

That’s a full two weeks ahead of the long-term average of April 13. Ice out records for White Bear Lake date back to 1928.

Recipe for an early ice-out year in Minnesota

We’re seeing the perfect combination of weather ingredients for early ice out in Minnesota this year. 

Our warm, rainy, windy March is starting to dissolve ice further north on some lakes in central Minnesota, too. Many lakes in Otter Tail County near Fergus Falls are now ice-free.

Blanche Lake just south of larger Otter Tail Lake shows ice-out Tuesday, too. That’s also more than two weeks ahead of the average date of April 15. 

The combination of high winds and warmer temperature by this weekend will take out more lake ice this week. Highs return to the 70s this weekend across southern and western Minnesota. 

Expect some bigger lakes to ice out in the coming weeks.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Ice out is progressing well ahead of average this year. The Hennepin County Sheriff and Freshwater Society declared Lake Minnetonka ice out at 1:13 p.m. Tuesday. That’s more than two weeks ahead of the median date of April 14. 

Maynards Restaurant webcam

Lake Minnetonka ice-out on March 30, 2021

Image: John Linc Stine  Executive Director Freshwater Society 

Minnesota DNR 

March temperature departure from average 

Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake ice out 2 weeks ahead of average

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox