April 27 will be recorded as the date the ice completely melted on Fountain Lake in 2018, according to Mark Malepsy, who officially took over the position of annual watcher of the lake this year from his father, Bill.

Mark Malepsy said the last of the ice on the lake melted off of Grace Street at 5:20 p.m. Friday.

The ice-out date is almost one month after last year’s ice-out date of March 29, and is tied with 1951 for the second latest the ice has ever lasted since records were kept in 1912. The latest the ice melted was April 30, back in 1953, according to records. The ice has never lasted into May.

The earliest the ice has ever melted was on March 7 in 2000.

“It’s kind of a sign of spring,” said Bill Malepsy, who had recorded the ice-out dates since 1960.

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 longest-known recording of ice-out dates started in 1867 for Lake Osakis near Alexandria, but hasn’t been consistent. The recording of ice-out dates for Lake Minnetonka started in 1870 and has been consistent since 1887.

The ice has not yet melted on Albert Lea Lake, which usually does so before Fountain Lake, the father and son said. Records for that lake go back to 1991. The median ice-out date for Albert Lea Lake is March 31.

Look to the Tribune’s Tuesday edition for more information about Mark Malepsy and the annual ice-out tradition.

 

Fountain Lake ice-out dates since 1912

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

2016: March 15

2017: March 29

2018: April 27