Median historical ice-out date on lake is April 9

Wednesday will be recorded as the date the ice completely melted on Fountain Lake in 2015, according to Bill Malepsy, barber and annual watcher of the lake ice.

Malepsy said the final remnants melted at about 7 p.m. on the north end of the lake near the channel to Bancroft Bay and the boat landing off of Richway Drive.

The median date for the ice going out on Fountain Lake is April 9.

Malepsy said any ice-out in March is considered early, when compared to the average.

In 2014, the ice-out date was April 13.

The recording of ice-out dates for Fountain Lake is the third oldest in the state, according to the State Climatology Office at the University of Minnesota. The records go back to 1912.

The latest the ice melted was April 30, back in 1953. The earliest the ice went out is March 7, setting the record in 2000. The ice has never lasted into May.

Rangers at Myre-Big Island State Park could not be reached as of press time to learn of the status of Albert Lea Lake. The records for that lake go back to 1991, with the years 1993 and 1995 skipped. The median ice-out date is March 31, with the earliest on March 5 in 2000.

 

Ice records from 1912-2015

1912: April 5

1913: April 3

1914: April 1

1915: April 10

1916: April 12

1917: April 12

1918: March 27

1919: March 26

1920: March 27

1921: March 18

1922: April 3

1923: April 14

1924: April 13

1925: March 25

1926: April 12

1927: March 24

1928: April 15

1929: March 28

1930: March 16

1931: March 15

1932: April 6

1933: April 4

1934: April 3

1935: April 25

1936: April 14

1937: April 12

1938: March 25

1939: March 30

1940: April 14

1941: April 8

1942: March 27

1943: April 3

1944: April 10

1945: March 25

1946: March 24

1947: April 15

1948: March 31

1949: April 9

1950: April 18

1951: April 27

1952: April 18

1953: April 30

1954: April 6

1955: April 8

1956: April 14

1957: April 9

1958: April 5

1959: April 11

1960: April 12

1961: April 15

1962: April 21

1963: April 2

1964: April 10

1965: April 20

1966: March 17

1967: March 29

1968: March 27

1969: April 12

1970: April 12

1971: April 13

1972: April 16

1973: March 24

1974: April 11

1975: April 25

1976: March 26

1977: March 28

1978: April 5

1979: April 19

1980: April 12

1981: March 25

1982: April 14

1983: April 11

1984: April 16

1985: March 31

1986: April 1

1987: March 23

1988: April 3

1989: April 9

1990: March 28

1991: April 3

1992: April 5

1993: April 15

1994: April 3

1995: March 27

1996: April 15

1997: April 6

1998: March 30

1999: March 29

2000: March 7

2001: April 12

2002: April 9

2003: April 2

2004: March 28

2005: April 4

2006: April 5

2007: March 27

2008: April 16

2009: April 3

2010: March 31

2011: April 8

2012: March 17

2013: April 23

2014: April 13

2015: March 25