Lake Pepin Ice Below 10-Year Average

Winter ice thickness on the Mississippi River’s Lake Pepin is below average over the period since 2012, according to February 28 measurements released by the Corps of Engineers. Total ice thickness at Mile 770 stood at about 19 inches on February 28.

The thickest total ice, measuring 22 inches, was at Mile 773, with no ice recorded between Miles 781 and 786.

The thickest ice at Mile 773 at the same time was 28 inches in 2018; the thinnest was 14 inches in 2020. The ice usually gets thicker after the first mid-February measurements before declining; only in 2017 among those years did the ice get thinner, from 15 to 14 inches thick, after initial measurements.

Lake Pepin ice thickness measurements typically start in mid-February and are conducted weekly. The next measurements are scheduled for March 6. Measurements are reported from each mile on the Upper Mississippi River between Mile 765 and 786.