Lake Minnetonka just misses breaking 100-year record, ice remains after warm winter
After an unusually warm winter in Minnesota, Lake Minnetonka was poised to break an over 100-year record for earliest ice out on the lake but fell short.
The earliest ice out date on record for Lake Minnetonka is March 11, 1878, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"It appears as though the record will not be broken this year," Pete Boulay, a climatologist Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told USA TODAY.
The lake has not been declared ice free yet, Boulay said, and there was still ice on the Lower Lake as of Monday.
Located west of Minneapolis, Lake Minnetonka spreads over more than 14,000 acres and is the largest lake in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
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What does ice out mean for a lake?
Lake ice out occurs when a lake is completely free of ice or when it's possible to navigate from one point to another, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
A lake is also considered to be ice out when it is 90% free of ice.
Minnesota sees unusually mild, warm winter temperatures
Minnesota's winter was largely warm and snowless for many areas of the northern state known for months of freezing temperatures and heavy snow.
According to the state's Department of Natural Resources, the meteorological winter (which runs from December through February) produced record high temperatures, recorded minimum temperatures and all-time monthly high temperatures.
Minneapolis and St. Paul, also known as the Twin Cities, broke its record for the number of 50-degree days for the season by early February. In addition, Rochester and the Twin Cities both observed their warmest February day in recorded history.