Warm weather triggers early ice outs on many Minnesota lakes

The ice is out early on Lake Minnetonka and other lakes across southern and central Minnesota this year thanks to warm weather and wind.

The official word on Minnetonka came Thursday morning. It's the lake's second earliest ice out date on record. Officials say it's a similar story on lakes from Albert Lea north toward St. Cloud.

"Wind did quite a number yesterday on the lakes," said Pete Boulay, a climatologist with the Minnesota State Climatology Office. "The strong wind really pushed that weak ice and cleared it out of Minnetonka."

Wednesday's ice out at White Bear Lake was a new record, "and now we're moving northward and we'll see how far north we get," Boulay said.

The earliest ice out on Lake Minnetonka happened in 1878, which was Minnesota's warmest winter on record. The median ice out date for the lake is April 14. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and the nonprofit Freshwater Society say ice out is declared on Minnetonka when a boat can get through all the lake's channels and bays.

State climatologists say there is enough data on some lakes in the state to show a trend toward earlier ice out dates, indicating Minnesota's climate has changed.

Lake Osakis near Alexandria is the lake with the longest record of ice out dates in Minnesota. It still has ice now, but Boulay said it's possible its ice out date could be the second earliest on record.