MINNETONKA, Minn. — Editor's Note: The above video first aired on March 11, 2024.
After much speculation and anticipation, it's official: Ice-out has been declared on Lake Minnetonka.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol and the Freshwater Society made the declaration on the evening of Wednesday, March 13. It's in the books as the second earliest date ever recorded, with the earliest ice-out declared on March 11, 1878.
"Ice-out is observed when a boat is able to safely navigate from any shore to any other shore, through any channel, and around any island without being stopped by hard ice," according to a statement from Freshwater.
The DNR is a bit more straightforward, defining it as when the lake is completely ice-free or at least 90%.
“This year’s ice out is over a full month earlier than last year's declaration on April 18,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt in a statement. “We’re sure that people will be excited for the extra time on the water this year, and we ask that everyone heading out to enjoy the lake keep in mind our basic water safety tips. Be especially mindful that despite the early Ice Out date, the water will still be very cold and hypothermia can happen very rapidly at these temperatures.”
Lake Minnetonka did break a record this winter for the latest ice-in date. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), ice-in was declared on Jan. 13 - breaking the old record by 11 days.
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