The median date for the ice going out on Fountain Lake is April 9. Last year, when the ice lasted until April 23, was among the latest ever.

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.

Barber Bill Malepsy, who keeps track of ice going out on Fountain Lake each spring, said the lake ice is getting darker and is open around the edges. He said he hasn’t begun driving around the body of water to monitor ice.

He guessed the ice will go out between April 10 and 15.

The latest it has melted away is April 30, back in 1953. The earliest the ice has gone out is March 7, setting the record in 2000. The second earliest is March 15, set in 1931.

More snow was in today’s forecast for much of Minnesota. The ice out on Fountain Lake probably won’t come before April 9.

“Given the present ice conditions and the present forecast, it is unlikely that it will be earlier than the historical median,” said State Climatologist Greg Spoden.

He said several factors can contribute to melting ice. One is the weather, which is only able to be forecast about three to five days out. As days get longer and warmer in March, warm air melts ice. Snow acts as insulation, so melting the snow allows sunlight to penetrate the ice and warm the water. This allows the snow to melt from the bottom.

Once the ice is about a foot thick, it forms vertical crystals termed “candles” that allow even more sunlight to warm the water below, accelerating the melting. Eventually, the ice breaks up, and wind can move the pieces around.

Another factor is ice thickness, but Spoden said it isn’t as much of a factor as one would expect. Other factors are albedo, which is the ability of snow and white ice to reflect heat from the sun. Darker colors, such as water on top of the ice, absorb more heat. Water itself, because it is above freezing, naturally accelerates melting.

Often, the final places for ice on Fountain Lake are in Dane Bay or Edgewater Bay.

The staff at Myre-Big Island State Park keep track of the ice on Albert Lea Lake. The records go back to 1991, with 1993 and 1995 skipped. The median date is March 31. The earliest is March 5, in 2000. The latest is April 18, last year.

 

Here are the Fountain Lake ice-out records:

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

 

Here are the Albert Lea Lake ice-out records:

1991 March 27

1992 April 2

1994 March 31

1996 April 10

1997 April 5

1998 March 27

1999 March 28

2000 March 5

2001 April 13

2002 March 28

2003 March 27

2004 March 28

2005 March 31

2006 April 2

2007 March 26

2008 April 15

2009 March 24

2010 March 31

2011 April 8

2012 March 13

2013 April 18