Ice-Out

Lake Minnetonka
near Minneapolis, Minnesota
(Back to Journey North Ice-out Contest)

Predict This Year's Ice-out Date for the Lake Minnetonka!

  • Write your prediction on this "Contact Us" form. We'll send news this spring when Lake Minnetonka becomes ice-free and we'll announce the contest winners.
About This Site
 Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes and Lake Minnetonka is one of them. Lake Minnetonka is covered with ice by early December most years, so people there are eager for the ice to melt in the spring. They have recorded the ice-out dates every year since 1887!

Ice-fishing houses on Lake Minnetonka.

Lake Minnetonka's ice gets so thick that people can drive cars and trucks on its surface. They also put ice-fishing houses on the lake so they can stay warm inside while they fish on a cold winter day. By law, the little shacks must be taken off the lake by March 1st. Soon after that, the ice won't be strong enough to support the cars and trucks that are needed to move the shacks.

Try This! Scattergram Activity
We've made a "scattergram" that includes 116 ice-out dates for Lake Minnetonka from 1887 to 2002. (You can add the records for 2003 and beyond.) Step-by-step directions make it fun and easy to analyze the data.

 

 

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