Shippers Still Waiting For Ice Out on Lake Pepin

Lake City, MN (KROC-AM News) - The ice is nearly out at Lake City, but the south end of Lake Pepin remains clogged by ice that’s nearly two-feet thick in some areas.

The latest round of measurements taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows there is still about a foot of mushy ice at Lake City, but about a mile north there is open water. The thickest ice was found 3 to 5 miles south of Lake City, where it extended to a depth of 20 to 22 inches and the harder blue ice was still 16 inches thick. The operators of river tows usually wait for the ice thickness to drop below 15 inches before attempting a run up the lake.

Another round of measurements has been scheduled next Wednesday, and considering the chilly forecast, it’s possible areas of thick ice could still be blocking the navigation channel and the start of the shipping season. Last year, the shipping season opened on March 9th. The latest date in the past 50 years was April 18th in 1970.

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