Article posted on MPR News site about ice out data

As the warmer weather comes and goes, Long Lake residence start to watch the ice.  The big question: When will "ice out" be this year?  This site starts getting more hits on our Ice Data Tab also.  So this article posted by MPR News seems very relevant to our readers.  An interesting part is: what is the exact definition of Ice Out.  

Taken from MPR News article:  As DNR climatologist Pete Boulay explains "The DNR uses observers (which can be individuals or groups familiar with the lakes and weather patterns) to report ice outs across the state, and the definition varies from individual to individual.  Boulay said there are three main ways to measure an ice out:

1.  ability to get from point A to point B across a lake;

2.  when about 90 percent of a lake is ice-free;

3.  when a lake is completely free of ice.

Since the definitions vary, the DNR typically contacts the same observer or group in each part of the state to maintain some consistency over individual bodies of water.

"We usually leave it in the hands of the locals to declare their ice outs," Boulay said. "

Read the entire article here

Within the article is an interactive map for ice out data on Minnesota Lakes.  Click the link below to access the map.  Then zoom in to find Long Lake. You can also click a link to see the DNR's data on ice out. Their data is slightly different from ours which is not unexpected as our observers use a definition of "lake completely free of ice".  

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html?year=median