WAYZATA, Minn. — UPDATE: Monday afternoon, Freshwater Society and Hennepin County Water Patrol were out on Lake Minnetonka and did not declare ice-out. Freshwater Society's Chris O'Brien said there is still ice on the Lower Lake.
It's out with the ice houses, in with the boats on Lake Minnetonka.
Sunday afternoon, several boats could be seen out around Gray's Bay.
"I just picked this boat out this weekend from my cabin and I was like, might as well go out and try it. It's a nice day," said Trace Gordon of Mound.
While Gordon didn't catch any fish, he was out about a month earlier than usual.
Joe Amato of Minnetonka was near the lake when he spotted boaters, saying, "I've seen them before already this spring but it's curious... This is supposed to be Minnesota."
Lake Minnetonka broke a record this winter for the latest ice-in date. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, it was declared on Jan. 13 — breaking the old record by 11 days. There's still potential for this year's ice-out date to tie for the earliest on record. The current record is March 11, 1878.
"It could be tomorrow [Monday] with the warm weather, but there's still quite a bit of ice. We're looking at one to five inches in certain places," said Sgt. Troy Kostohryz with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Water Patrol. "It's a possibility with wind, rain, heat. They all do a number on the ice."
Water Patrol and Freshwater Society will work together to declare ice-out. They checked the ice on Lake Minnetonka Sunday for about five hours. Ice-out checks began over the weekend.
According to the Freshwater Society, ice-out is observed when a boat can safely travel shore to shore, through any channel, and around any island without being stopped by hard ice. The DNR defines it as when the lake is completely ice-free or at least 90%.
"The Lower Lake still has a decent amount of ice. I would say it's still got about half the ice in Lower Lake North. Most of the other bays are pretty clear," Sgt. Kostohryz said.
Water Patrol and Freshwater Society will be out again on Monday.
According to Sgt. Kostohryz, ice-outs are declared to make sure the bays are travelable.
"We want to be able to make sure that no one's going to get locked in by ice when they're driving around. That'd be a pretty bad call if you get stuck in a bay with ice coverage," Sgt. Kostohryz said.
But with temperatures expected to reach the 60s this week, it's unlikely any remaining ice will stick around for long.
Sgt. Kostohryz recommends boaters wear life jackets and have safety equipment on board, saying, "Just drive safe. There is ice underneath the water. You can hit some chunks of ice. We don't want you getting hurt... Use caution. Keep an eye out. Bring a light out with you if you're going out in the dark."
According to the Freshwater Society, the median ice-out date for Lake Minnetonka is April 13. Last year's ice-out date was April 19.
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