Twin Cities metro lakes becoming ice-free right on time

KMSP - It may still look and feel a bit like winter, but Minnesota lakes don’t lie… it’s definitely spring.  Many lakes in southern and now central Minnesota are becoming ice-free.  That’s right, despite our heavy snow this week and sub average temperatures, lakes are still losing ice.  Arguably some of the more “famous” lakes like Harriet & Bde Maka Ska are already free of their winter cap, becoming all liquid by the 10th of April along with many other metro lakes.  The largest though, Lake Minnetonka, has yet to be declared ice-free.  But it likely won’t be long now as Minnetonka follows our Minneapolis lakes typically by about a week.

This is right around the typical time we see lakes become all liquid again, averaging the first 2 or so weeks of April around the metro.  As you’d imagine, northern Minnesota takes a bit longer with many lakes keeping their ice through the first of May.