François Lake

This article is about the lake. For the settlement, see François Lake, British Columbia. For the provincial park, see François Lake Provincial Park.

Not to be confused with Françoise Lake.

François Lake in British Columbia is about 30 km (19 mi) south of Burns Lake and 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Fraser Lake. The lake is 110 km (68 mi) long, making it the second longest natural lake entirely within British Columbia after Babine Lake. Nadina River is the inflow of the lake at the west and Stellako River is the outflow of the lake. The lake is popularly fished for its rainbow trout and char.

François Lake
François Lake
Location	British Columbia
Group	Nechako Lakes
Coordinates	54°2′N 125°43′W
Primary inflows	Nadina River
Primary outflows	Stellako River
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	110 km (68 mi)
Max. depth	244.4 m (802 ft)
Surface elevation	715 m (2,346 ft)

Because of its shape, the lake was called Nidabun, meaning "lip lake." The French-Canadians mistook Nidaa for nedo, which meant "whiteman," and named it Lac des Français (meaning Lake of the French). The name Français later was altered to François.

Climate

Equity Silver is a weather station roughly 20 km (12.4 miles) north of François Lake, at an elevation of 1280 m (4199 ft). Equity Silver has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc), bordering on a tundra climate (Köppen ET).

Climate data for Equity Silver, British Columbia (1981-2010): 1280m
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	9.0 (48.2)	10.5 (50.9)	12.5 (54.5)	20.0 (68.0)	30.0 (86.0)	29.0 (84.2)	30.0 (86.0)	29.0 (84.2)	28.0 (82.4)	21.0 (69.8)	9.0 (48.2)	9.5 (49.1)	30.0 (86.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−4.8 (23.4)	−2.6 (27.3)	0.3 (32.5)	5.4 (41.7)	9.6 (49.3)	14.4 (57.9)	16.6 (61.9)	16.5 (61.7)	11.6 (52.9)	4.9 (40.8)	−1.4 (29.5)	−4.2 (24.4)	5.5 (41.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−8.4 (16.9)	−6.8 (19.8)	−4.0 (24.8)	0.9 (33.6)	4.9 (40.8)	9.5 (49.1)	11.6 (52.9)	11.5 (52.7)	7.3 (45.1)	1.6 (34.9)	−4.4 (24.1)	−7.5 (18.5)	1.3 (34.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−11.8 (10.8)	−10.7 (12.7)	−8.2 (17.2)	−3.7 (25.3)	0.3 (32.5)	4.5 (40.1)	6.5 (43.7)	6.6 (43.9)	2.9 (37.2)	−1.7 (28.9)	−7.4 (18.7)	−10.8 (12.6)	−2.8 (27.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−44.0 (−47.2)	−36.0 (−32.8)	−32.0 (−25.6)	−20.0 (−4.0)	−14.0 (6.8)	−4.0 (24.8)	−2.0 (28.4)	0.0 (32.0)	−7.0 (19.4)	−25.0 (−13.0)	−37.0 (−34.6)	−38.0 (−36.4)	−44.0 (−47.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	64.7 (2.55)	40.8 (1.61)	39.6 (1.56)	28.1 (1.11)	46.0 (1.81)	71.9 (2.83)	69.8 (2.75)	53.7 (2.11)	56.4 (2.22)	70.6 (2.78)	62.8 (2.47)	57.2 (2.25)	661.6 (26.05)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	63.0 (24.8)	40.6 (16.0)	38.7 (15.2)	17.8 (7.0)	8.7 (3.4)	0.7 (0.3)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.9 (0.7)	31.1 (12.2)	55.3 (21.8)	56.2 (22.1)	314 (123.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	12.1	7.9	8.0	7.7	11.5	12.3	13.5	11.2	12.4	14.0	11.7	9.6	131.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	11.9	7.8	7.6	5.0	2.2	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.8	6.3	10.5	9.4	61.8
Source: Environment Canada[1]

See also

• List of lakes of British Columbia
• François Lake Provincial Park