Ice out declared on Lake Minnetonka at 1:13 p.m. Tuesday
Ice out on Lake Minnetonka was declared at 1:13 p.m. Tuesday. (Hennepin County Sheriff)
(FOX 9) - Boating season is officially underway on Lake Minnetonka as officials declared ice out at 1:13 p.m. Tuesday.
In partnership with Freshwater, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office declared ice out Tuesday afternoon on the 14,500-acre lake.
Ice out is declared when officials are able to safely pilot a patrol boat through all of the lake’s channels and bays without obstruction by ice.
While ice out has been declared, Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson urged Minnesotans to use caution on the lake this spring as many navigational buoys have not been placed yet and water temperatures remain bitter cold.
The average ice out is April 13. The record early ice out was March 11 in 1878 and the latest one was May 5, 2018.