Ice Out on Lake Minnetonka
March 22nd, 2012
Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes and Lake Minnetonka is one of them. The lake is covered with ice by early December most years.
On an early morning walk to my office in Wayzata this week, I noticed that the ice on the lake had finished melting. It had taken on a dark mysterious look in the first light of the day, as you can see in my photo. The mild winter had prevented a thick freeze, perhaps contributing to the early thaw this year. Mid-April is average for ice-out.
The Freshwater Society, founded by Richard G. Gray, has kept records of the day the ice goes out on Lake Minnetonka. According the Society, the earliest recorded ice-out, noted by naturalist Dr. Thomas Roberts, was March 11, 1878 and the latest recorded date was May 8, 1856.
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