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Home > About > Lake Characteristics > Mendota Ice Phenology

Lake Mendota Ice Cover


Lake Mendota photgraphed from University Bay by Dale Robertson on December 12, 1985.

 

 

Lake Mendota Ice Cover - Recent and Extremes

  Recent Earliest Latest
Ice On 2006-07 Jan 20
 1880-81 Nov 23
 1931-32 Jan 30
  2007-08 Dec 26 1857-58 Nov 25 2006-07 Jan 20
  2008-09 Dec 16 1873-74 Nov 29 1889-90 Jan 14
      1999-00 Jan 14
       
Ice Off 2006-07 Mar 27
 1997-98 Feb 27
 1856-57 May 6
  2007-08 Apr 10 1999-00 Mar 7 1880-81 May 3
  2008-09 Mar 23 1982-83 Mar 8 1871-72 Apr 23
      1872-73 Apr 23
       
    Longest Shortest
Duration (days)
2006-07 66 1880-81 161 2001-02 21
  2007-08 106 1856-57 151 1997-98 47
  2008-09 97 1872-73 144 1999-00 53

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Lake Mendota Ice Cover - Average Ice Dates

  Winters Begining in Average Ice-on Date Average Ice-off Date
  1855-2008 Dec 21 Apr 4
last 100 years 1909-2008 Dec 23 Apr 1
last 50 years 1959-2008 Dec 24 Mar 31
last 25 years 1984-2008 Dec 27 Mar 26
last 10 years 1999-2008 Dec 30 Mar 28
last 5 years 2004-2008 Dec 27 Mar 30

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Lake Mendota Ice Data Since 1852

Note: Ice duration is the number of days that the lake is covered with ice. If the lake thaws for several days and then freezes again, the duration is the number of days from ice-on to ice-off minus those days when the lake was thawed.

Start Year
End Year
Ice On
Ice Off
Duration (days)
1852
1853
.
05-Apr-53
.
1853
1854
27-Dec-53
.
.
1855
1856
18-Dec-55
14-Apr-56
118
1856
1857
06-Dec-56
06-May-57
151
1857
1858
25-Nov-57
26-Mar-58
121
1858
1859
08-Dec-58
14-Mar-59
96
1859
1860
07-Dec-59
26-Mar-60
110
1860
1861
14-Dec-60
10-Apr-61
117
1861
1862
02-Dec-61
13-Apr-62
132
1862
1863
26-Dec-62
09-Apr-63
104
1863
1864
18-Dec-63
21-Apr-64
125
1864
1865
08-Dec-64
05-Apr-65
118
1865
1866
14-Dec-65
18-Apr-66
125
1866
1867
18-Dec-66
20-Apr-67
123
1867
1868
12-Dec-67
31-Mar-68
110
1868
1869
10-Dec-68
16-Apr-69
127
1869
1870
02-Dec-69
12-Apr-70
131
1870
1871
24-Dec-70
02-Apr-71
99
1871
1872
19-Dec-71
23-Apr-72
126
1872
1873
30-Nov-72
23-Apr-73
144
1873
1874
29-Nov-73
14-Apr-74
136
1874
1875
10-Dec-74
15-Apr-75
126
1875
1876
10-Jan-76
10-Apr-76
91
1876
1877
08-Dec-76
17-Apr-77
130
1877
1878
06-Jan-78
09-Mar-78
62
1878
1879
21-Dec-78
12-Apr-79
112
1879
1880
17-Dec-79
25-Mar-80
99
1880
1881
23-Nov-80
03-May-81
161
1881
1882
02-Jan-82
21-Mar-82
78
1882
1883
10-Dec-82
13-Apr-83
124
1883
1884
18-Dec-83
15-Apr-84
119
1884
1885
17-Dec-84
20-Apr-85
124
1885
1886
12-Dec-85
19-Apr-86
128
1886
1887
05-Dec-86
15-Apr-87
131
1887
1888
24-Dec-87
15-Apr-88
113
1888
1889
02-Jan-89
31-Mar-89
88
1889
1890
14-Jan-90
30-Mar-90
75
1890
1891
26-Dec-90
16-Apr-91
111
1891
1892
27-Dec-91
02-Apr-92
97
1892
1893
16-Dec-92
07-Apr-93
112
1893
1894
04-Dec-93
15-Mar-94
101
1894
1895
28-Dec-94
08-Apr-95
101
1895
1896
05-Jan-96
05-Apr-96
91
1896
1897
21-Dec-96
10-Apr-97
110
1897
1898
17-Dec-97
27-Mar-98
100
1898
1899
09-Dec-98
18-Apr-99
130
1899
1900
27-Dec-99
17-Apr-00
111
1900
1901
25-Dec-00
11-Apr-01
107
1901
1902
15-Dec-01
30-Mar-02
105
1902
1903
25-Dec-02
24-Mar-03
89
1903
1904
13-Dec-03
17-Apr-04
126
1904
1905
14-Dec-04
01-Apr-05
108
1905
1906
01-Jan-06
08-Apr-06
97
1906
1907
20-Dec-06
24-Mar-07
94
1907
1908
01-Jan-08
24-Mar-08
83
1908
1909
22-Dec-08
07-Apr-09
106
1909
1910
18-Dec-09
26-Mar-10
98
1910
1911
09-Dec-10
20-Mar-11
101
1911
1912
28-Dec-11
14-Apr-12
108
1912
1913
24-Dec-12
02-Apr-13
99
1913
1914
12-Jan-14
10-Apr-14
88
1914
1915
16-Dec-14
10-Apr-15
115
1915
1916
28-Dec-15
08-Apr-16
102
1916
1917
16-Dec-16
11-Apr-17
116
1917
1918
11-Dec-17
05-Apr-18
115
1918
1919
03-Jan-19
26-Mar-19
82
1919
1920
09-Dec-19
28-Mar-20
110
1920
1921
25-Dec-20
16-Mar-21
81
1921
1922
25-Dec-21
31-Mar-22
96
1922
1923
16-Dec-22
20-Apr-23
125
1923
1924
01-Jan-24
14-Apr-24
104
1924
1925
19-Dec-24
03-Apr-25
105
1925
1926
16-Dec-25
19-Apr-26
124
1926
1927
06-Dec-26
19-Mar-27
103
1927
1928
17-Dec-27
01-Apr-28
106
1928
1929
21-Dec-28
27-Mar-29
96
1929
1930
03-Dec-29
20-Mar-30
107
1930
1931
16-Dec-30
24-Mar-31
98
1931
1932
30-Jan-32
04-Apr-32
65
1932
1933
10-Dec-32
04-Apr-33
115
1933
1934
25-Dec-33
26-Mar-34
91
1934
1935
24-Dec-34
28-Mar-35
94
1935
1936
20-Dec-35
30-Mar-36
101
1936
1937
07-Dec-36
13-Apr-37
121
1937
1938
07-Dec-37
22-Mar-38
105
1938
1939
28-Dec-38
04-Apr-39
97
1939
1940
02-Jan-40
16-Apr-40
105
1940
1941
05-Jan-41
11-Apr-41
96
1941
1942
03-Jan-42
26-Mar-42
82
1942
1943
07-Dec-42
02-Apr-43
116
1943
1944
16-Dec-43
08-Apr-44
114
1944
1945
18-Dec-44
20-Mar-45
92
1945
1946
13-Dec-45
21-Mar-46
98
1946
1947
30-Dec-46
10-Apr-47
101
1947
1948
21-Dec-47
03-Apr-48
104
1948
1949
24-Dec-48
30-Mar-49
96
1949
1950
23-Dec-49
11-Apr-50
109
1950
1951
11-Dec-50
12-Apr-51
122
1951
1952
16-Dec-51
08-Apr-52
114
1952
1953
30-Dec-52
21-Mar-53
81
1953
1954
30-Dec-53
25-Mar-54
85
1954
1955
02-Jan-55
04-Apr-55
92
1955
1956
12-Dec-55
04-Apr-56
114
1956
1957
14-Dec-56
04-Apr-57
111
1957
1958
30-Dec-57
04-Apr-58
95
1958
1959
09-Dec-58
14-Apr-59
126
1959
1960
29-Dec-59
12-Apr-60
105
1960
1961
19-Dec-60
06-Apr-61
108
1961
1962
16-Dec-61
12-Apr-62
117
1962
1963
12-Dec-62
03-Apr-63
112
1963
1964
20-Dec-63
11-Apr-64
113
1964
1965
15-Dec-64
14-Apr-65
120
1965
1966
11-Jan-66
17-Mar-66
65
1966
1967
26-Dec-66
03-Apr-67
98
1967
1968
27-Dec-67
27-Mar-68
91
1968
1969
17-Dec-68
10-Apr-69
108
1969
1970
16-Dec-69
08-Apr-70
113
1970
1971
24-Dec-70
13-Apr-71
110
1971
1972
05-Jan-72
19-Apr-72
105
1972
1973
07-Dec-72
14-Mar-73
97
1973
1974
21-Dec-73
05-Apr-74
105
1974
1975
02-Jan-75
19-Apr-75
107
1975
1976
27-Dec-75
24-Mar-76
88
1976
1977
03-Dec-76
28-Mar-77
115
1977
1978
07-Dec-77
11-Apr-78
123
1978
1979
10-Dec-78
19-Apr-79
118
1979
1980
29-Dec-79
06-Apr-80
99
1980
1981
20-Dec-80
23-Mar-81
93
1981
1982
28-Dec-81
03-Apr-82
96
1982
1983
13-Jan-83
08-Mar-83
54
1983
1984
19-Dec-83
08-Apr-84
111
1984
1985
25-Dec-84
27-Mar-85
85
1985
1986
14-Dec-85
31-Mar-86
107
1986
1987
13-Dec-86
12-Mar-87
89
1987
1988
02-Jan-88
29-Mar-88
87
1988
1989
29-Dec-88
05-Apr-89
97
1989
1990
12-Dec-89
15-Mar-90
93
1990
1991
26-Dec-90
24-Mar-91
88
1991
1992
18-Dec-91
26-Mar-92
99
1992
1993
24-Dec-92
11-Apr-93
108
1993
1994
27-Dec-93
31-Mar-94
94
1994
1995
06-Jan-95
21-Mar-95
74
1995
1996
10-Dec-95
07-Apr-96
119
1996
1997
20-Dec-96
01-Apr-97
102
1997
1998
11-Jan-98
27-Feb-98
47
1998
1999
30-Dec-98
21-Mar-99
81
1999
2000
14-Jan-00
07-Mar-00
53
2000
2001
13-Dec-00
07-Apr-01
115
2001
2002
2-Jan-02
15-Mar-02
21
2002
2003
4-Jan-03
3-Apr-03
89
2003
2004
7-Jan-04
27-Mar-04
80
2004
2005
25-Dec-04
5-Apr-05
101
2005
2006
19-Dec-05
24-Mar-06
95
2006
2007
20-Jan-07
27-Mar-07
66
2007
2008
26-Dec-07
10-Apr-08
106
2008
2009
16-Dec-08
23-Mar-09
97

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