Tuesday marked the official first day of spring.

Though the date doesn’t always mean much in Minnesota, it keeps our hopes up that warmer weather will be here soon.

With that warmer weather comes more outdoor activities such as walking, jogging, gardening, hiking and boating, to name a few. And, in turn, that means no more shoveling and better road conditions.

We, here in Minnesota, have been spoiled by warmer weather the last few years.

The date the ice completely melted on Fountain Lake last year was March 29, and in 2016 it was March 15 — which was the second earliest the ice had ever melted since 1912 when records were kept. In 2015, it was March 25.

The earliest the ice has ever melted was on March 7 in 2000, and the latest was April 30, back in 1953. Thankfully, the ice has never lasted into May.

We’ll be curious to see if all of the ice is melted on the lake by the end of this month.

There are above-freezing temperatures slated for the rest of this week — though there’s a chance of rain and snow on Friday and Saturday. Fingers crossed it will be minimal.