Sheriff Declares Ice Out on Lake Minnetonka; Freshwater Society Yet to Make its 'Official' Call

Today, at 4 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office determined the Ice Out is official. The declaration is made when a boat can be piloted on Lake Minnetonka through the "Narrows" around Big Island and back to the Sheriff’s Water Patrol Unit on Lake Minnetonka in Spring Park. 

The Freshwater Society, the official declarer of ice out on Lake Minnetonka, uses different standards. Freshwater Society founder Dick Gray, who catalogued the early records and has made his own records since 1968, described the standard for determining ice-out in a 2003 column: “when it is possible to travel by small boat from any one shore to any other shore through any passage on the lake.”

Click here to see a historical table of official ice out dates, as provided by the Freshwater Society.

Typically on Lake Minnetonka, the ice out takes place in mid-April. This year’s ice out on May 1 is among the latest ever recorded and it’s only the third time an ice out has taken place in May since record-keeping began in the late 1880’s.

There have been three ice outs in May: May 1, 2013, May 1, 1965, and May 2, 1950. 

Last year, the Ice Out was on March 20 and it was among the earliest dates ever for the declaration. 

The Sheriff’s Office urges people to take precautions when they are on the water—or near water—this time of year. Safety reminders include: 

• Use caution when boating on Lake Minnetonka, there are many navigational buoys that are not in place yet. 
• It’s especially important to wear a life jacket when boating. At this time, water temperatures on all bodies of water are cold, if you were to fall into water, hypothermia happens quickly in these conditions. 
• When boating or spending time near water, let someone know where you are going and when you will return. 
• Parents and caregivers are urged to supervise children when they are near the water.