Minnesota Experiences Unprecedented Early Ice-Outs, Lake Minnetonka Holds Its Record

Despite a record-breaking warm winter, Lake Minnetonka narrowly misses surpassing its 146-year-old ice-out record.

Lake Minnetonka nearly broke the 146-year-old record for the earliest ice-out date but remains partially frozen.
Other Minnesota lakes have set new records for early ice-out following an unusually warm winter.
The warm winter, attributed to climate change and El Niño, has led to the warmest winter on record for the state.
Ice-out is a significant event in Minnesota, marking the transition to spring and affecting local ecosystems and human activities.
Despite the warm winter, Lake Minnetonka's iconic ice-out record from March 11, 1878, stands unbroken.