Minnesota's Lake Ice-Out Status - May 17, 2011

Looking for the 2012 ice out map? click here.

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 will depict 2011 information obtained from this informal poll. The table is updated as conditions warrant.

Other lake ice-out resources:

  Historical averages and extremes have been calculated for lakes in highlighted in green.

Northwest

Name County Status
Bronson Kittson out 4-13
Cormorant Becker out 4-29
Detroit Becker out 4-26
Elk Clearwater out 4-28
Itasca Clearwater out 4-28
Red (Lower) Beltrami out 5-1
Red (Upper) Beltrami out 4-30
Sallie Becker out 4-29
South Twin Mahnomen out

North Central

Name County Status
Bemidji Beltrami out 4-28
Kabetogama St. Louis out 4-30
L. of the Woods LOW out 5-5
Leech Cass out 5-1
Pokegama Itasca out 4-27
Rainy Kooch. out 5-2
Ten Mile Cass out 4-30
Winnibigoshish Cass/Itas. out 4-30

Northeast

Name County Status
Basswood Lake out 5-5
Bearhead St. Louis out 4-30
Brule Cook out 5-13
Burntside St. Louis out
Fall Lake out 4-29
Devil Track Cook out 5-12
East Bearskin Lake Cook out 5-12
Echo St. Louis out 4-24
Elephant St. Louis out 4-30
Esther Cook out 5-13
Greenwood Cook out 5-16
Gunflint Lake out 5-10
Island St. Louis out 4-30
Lax Lake out
Mountain Cook out
Northern Light Cook out 5-12
Pelican St. Louis out 4-28
Pine Cook out 5-12
Saganaga Cook out 5-9
Sawbill Cook out 5-12
Sea Gull Cook out 5-8
Shagawa St. Louis out 4-29
Side Lake St. Louis out 4-26
Snowbank Lake out 5-5
Sturgeon St. Louis out 5-1
Sunset St. Louis out 4-20
Tait Cook out 5-10
Trout Cook out 5-13
Vermilion St. Louis out 5-1
White Iron St. Louis out 4-30
Wolf Lake out 5-4

West Central

Name County Status
Artichoke Big Stone out 4-16
Big Stone Big Stone out 4-15
Blanche Otter Tail out 4-23
Carlos Douglas out 4-24
Emily Pope out 4-18
Latoka Douglas out 4-22
Le Homme Dieu Douglas out 4-22
Minnewaska Pope out 4-21
Osakis Todd out 4-22
Otter Tail Otter Tail out 4-26
Silver Lake Otter Tail out 4-26
Traverse Traverse out 4-13
West Battle Otter Tail out 4-26

Central

Name County Status
Belle Lake Meeker out 4-12
Buck Todd out 4-14
Carrie Lake Kandiyo. out 4-12
Cedar Lake Morrison out 4-15
Fish Hook Hubbard out 4-28
Gilmore Hubbard out 4-26
George Hubbard out 4-26
Green Kandiyo. out 4-19
Gull Cass out 4-26
Gladstone Crow Wing out 4-21
Moose Todd out 4-14
North Long Crow Wing out 4-19
Pearl Stearns out 4-13
Pelican Crow Wing out 4-26
Portage Hubbard out 4-26
Potato Hubbard out 4-29
Red Sand Crow Wing out 4-15
Serpent Crow Wing out 4-25
Sugar Wright out 4-12
Upper Bottle Hubbard out 4-27

East Central

Name County Status
Big Sandy Aitkin out 4-26
Bald Eagle Ramsey out 4-13
Bear Aitkin out 4-20
Forest #3 Washing. out 4-12
Gervias Ramsey out 4-11
Calhoun Hennepin out 4-10
Dutch Hennepin out 4-10
Harriet Hennepin out 4-10
Hill Aitkin out 4-27
Kohlman Ramsey out 4-10
Knife Kanabec out 4-16
Lake of the Isles Hennepin out
Lewis Kanabec out 4-16
Lindstrom Chisago out 4-13
Medicine Hennepin out 4-10
Mille Lacs M. Lacs out 5-1
Minnetonka Hennepin out 4-14
Moosehead Carlton out 4-21
Peltier Anoka out 4-12
Phalen Ramsey out 4-11
Prior Scott out 4-11
Rush Chisago out 4-15
South Center Chisago out 4-13
Waconia Carver out 4-13
White Bear Ramsey out 4-13

Southwest

Name County Status
Hendricks Lincoln out 4-13
Sarah Murray out 4-10
Shaokatan Lincoln out 4-13
Shetek Murray out 4-10

South Central

Name County Status
Albert Lea Freeborn out 4-8
Budd Martin out 4-6
Clear Waseca out 4-10
Fountain Freeborn out 4-8
Loon Waseca out 4-8
Madison Blue Earth out 4-10
St Olaf Waseca out 4-9
St James Watonwan out 4-7
Sakatah Le Seuer out 4-10
Shields Rice out 4-10
Swan Nicollet out 4-8
Tetonka Le Sueur out 4-10
Washington Le Sueur out 4-10

Southeast

Name County Status
Cannon Rice out 4-11
Pepin Wabasha out 4-3
Zumbro Olmsted out