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Lake Sakakawea freezes over

Lake Sakakawea was officially declared frozen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this past Saturday. Saturday’s freeze-up ended a stretch of 257 days of open water on Lake Sakakawea. The state’s largest body of water had been declared free of ice on April 29, 2019.

Saturday’s declared freeze-up fell within the long-term norm for the reservoir. Last year Lake Sakakawea was reported to be iced over Jan. 12, one day later than this year.

The earliest ice-free date on record for Lake Sakakawea is March 27, 2018. Generally though, mid-April is when the reservoir can be expected to become free of ice. However, there have been many years when Lake Sakakawea was not ice free until the month of May. The latest ice free date for Sakakawea is May 17, 1979.

– Kim Fundingsland

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