When will Lake Minnewaska be ice-free this year?

It was a record-breaking spring last year, in 2024, when Lake Minnewaska shed its ice covering by March 13, making it the earliest ice-free day for the lake since records began in 1906. Prior to last spring, the earliest ice-out date was on March 21, 2012.

An ice-free Lake Minnewaska in March, however, has been rare, only happening 13 times in the past 119 years. 

Last year’s record for ice-out will stand for another year as the calendar moves to April with significant ice remaining on Lake Minnewaska.  With cooler temperatures this week, the ice is likely to make it well into April this year, which is a more typical ice-out time for Minnewaska.

In the past 119 years, the ice remained on the lake into May only two times.  In 2013, the lake wasn’t ice-free until May 11.  The only other time it took until May to become ice free was in 1950, when the lake wasn’t ice free until May 7.

This year, however, the ice is receding from the shores around the lake more each day and a couple of warmer weeks has deteriorated the ice.  But a spring snowstorm is predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday so that could halt the ice melt for this week.  Most predictions are that this will be a typical ice-out year for Lake Minnewaska and occur sometime in early to mid-April. 

Lake Minnewaska Ice-Off Dates Since 1906

1906……April 12

1907……April 18

1908……April 12

1909……April 28

1910….March 26

1911….March 29

1912……April 13

1913……April 17

1914……April 17

1915……April 15

1916……April 14

1917……April 19

1918……April 17

1919……..April 5

1920……April 18

1921….March 30

1922……April 15

1923……April 21

1924……..April 9

1925……..April 2

1926……April 17

1927……..April 8

1928……..April 5

1929……..April 6

1930……..April 6

1931……..April 8

1932……April 10

1933……..April 8

1934……..April 9

1935……..April 9

1936……April 20

1937……April 20

1938…….April 11

1939……April 21

1940……April 25

1941……April 12

1942….March 25

1943……April 14

1944……April 14

1945….March 31

1946….March 27

1947……April 20

1948……April 19

1949……April 19

1950…….. May 7 

1951……April 29

1952……April 25

1953……..April 8

1954……April 15

1955……April 12

1956……April 26

1957……April 20

1958……..April 5

1959……April 13

1960……April 18

1961……..April 4

1962……April 26

1963……..April 6

1964……April 17

1965……April 30

1966……April 14

1967…….April 11

1968……..April 2

1969……April 20

1970……April 26

1971……April 18

1972……April 26

1973……..April 1

1974……April 21

1975……April 28

1976……April 10

1977……April 12

1978…..April 19

1979……April 29

1980……April 21

1981….March 29

1982……April 24

1983……..April 5

1984……April 20

1985……April 16

1986……April 12

1987….March 25

1988……..April 9

1989……April 23

1990……..April 9

1991……..April 7

1992……..April 5

1993……April 19

1994……April 17

1995……April 15

1996……April 25

1997……April 25

1998……..April 8

1999…… ..April 2

2000…..March 24

2001…….April 24

2002 ……April 16

2003…….April 11

2004……..April 5

2005……April 10

2006……April 10

2007…….April 2

2008…….April 21

2009…….April 18

2010…….April 2

2011…….April 21

2012……March 21

2013……May 11**

2014……April 26

2015……..April 8

2016….March 22

2017…….March 31

2018………April 30

2019………April 21

2020………..April 9

2021………April 3

2022…….April 23

2023………April 30

2024…MARCH 13*