Ice goes out on Fountain Lake
Published 9:06 am Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Ice floats on Fountain Lake on Friday near the gazebo at Fountain Lake Park. Warm temperatures had melted most of the lake ice, but cold weather systems kept enough around to last. –Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune
The last remaining piece of ice on Fountain Lake melted at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to record keeper Bill Malepsy, a local barber.
That makes April 23 the official date for the ice being out this year. It is one of the latest dates in a century of record-keeping.
The last piece of ice was on the eastern side of Dane Bay, along homes accessed via Botsford Avenue. The ice was still there Tuesday afternoon, Malepsy reported.
Dane Bay is on the southwest side of Fountain Lake. Blackmer Avenue runs parallel to its western shore.
The ice out is a glimmer of good news in what has been a long winter for Albert Leans, who woke up Tuesday with snow on the ground and this morning with frost on windows.
The latest the ice has lasted is April 30, which set the record in 1953. The ice has never lasted into May.
Here are the records going back to 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
About Tim Engstrom
Tim Engstrom is the editor of the Albert Lea Tribune. He resides in Albert Lea with his wife, two sons and dog.
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