Babine Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Babine Lake |
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 Babine Lake
Location in British Columbia
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| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Group | Nechako Lakes |
| Coordinates | 54°45′N 126°00′W / 54.750°N 126.000°W |
| Primary outflows | Babine River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 153 km (95 mi) |
| Max. width | 10 km (6 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 711 m (2,333 ft) |
Babine Lake (pronounced buh-BEEN) is also known as Na-taw-bun-kut, which means "Long Lake." It is the longest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada.
This amazing lake is found in central British Columbia. It is northeast of the town of Burns Lake. It's about 177 kilometers (110 miles) west of Prince George. Babine Lake is super long, stretching 153 kilometers (95 miles). It is also between 2 and 10 kilometers (1 to 6 miles) wide. The lake covers an area of about 479 square kilometers (185 square miles). This includes 16 square kilometers (6 square miles) of islands. The lake sits high up, at 711 meters (2,333 feet) above sea level.
Water flows out of Babine Lake into the Babine River. This river then joins the important Skeena River. The area around the lake is home to several beautiful provincial parks. These are great places to visit and explore nature.
- Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park
- Pendleton Bay site
- Smithers Landing site
- Topley Landing Provincial Park
- Red Bluff Provincial Park
Exploring Babine Portage
Babine Portage is a special campsite. It is located on the west side of Babine Lake. You can reach it by driving about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of the Portage Yekooche Reserve. The name "Portage" comes from the 1800s. Back then, people used this spot to carry their canoes. They would portage them to reach the Hudson's Bay Company trading post.
Years ago, there were many cabins here. In 2003, most of them burned down in grass fires. Now, only a few remain. People from nearby towns like Tache and Prince George visit this area. However, it is mostly used by members of the Yekooche First Nation. They often spend their summers here. They return to the Portage Reserve in the fall.
The lake is a vital source of food for the Yekooche people. They catch salmon and kokanee fish. They also hunt moose, deer, and bear nearby. Popular hunting spots include Salt Lake and Frank's Meadow. Fishing is also common at 4 Mile and 6 Mile Creek. These creeks are east of the camp. The food they gather from Babine Portage helps them through the winter.
There is a unique tradition at Babine Portage. When someone visits for the first time, they get "t'es-ed" up. This means rubbing charcoal on their cheeks. It is believed to ward off bad weather at the camp. The word t'es means charcoal in the Babine language.
Weather Around Babine Lake
The weather at Babine Lake changes a lot throughout the year. Summers are generally warm and pleasant. Winters are cold with plenty of snow.
In January, the average temperature is about -7.3°C (18.9°F). The coldest it has ever been is -44.4°C (-47.9°F). In July, the average temperature is around 14.7°C (58.5°F). The hottest temperature ever recorded was 33.9°C (93.0°F).
The lake area gets a good amount of rain and snow. The most rain falls in June and July. Snow is common from November to March. The lake gets about 470.8 millimeters (18.5 inches) of precipitation each year. About 163.3 centimeters (64.3 inches) of this is snow.
The area also gets a fair amount of sunshine. July is usually the sunniest month. December and January are the least sunny.
| Climate data for Babine Lake | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.9 (93.0) |
32.0 (89.6) |
30.0 (86.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
14.5 (58.1) |
12.0 (53.6) |
33.9 (93.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
8.5 (47.3) |
13.7 (56.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
15.1 (59.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
8.2 (46.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.3 (18.9) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
3.4 (38.1) |
8.1 (46.6) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.5 (13.1) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
2.6 (36.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
5.1 (41.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −44.4 (−47.9) |
−38.3 (−36.9) |
−33.3 (−27.9) |
−22.0 (−7.6) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
−31.5 (−24.7) |
−36.7 (−34.1) |
−44.4 (−47.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44.0 (1.73) |
28.5 (1.12) |
25.4 (1.00) |
25.2 (0.99) |
37.7 (1.48) |
53.0 (2.09) |
43.7 (1.72) |
39.8 (1.57) |
40.4 (1.59) |
47.9 (1.89) |
44.3 (1.74) |
40.9 (1.61) |
470.8 (18.54) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 4.9 (0.19) |
3.0 (0.12) |
5.8 (0.23) |
18.7 (0.74) |
37.1 (1.46) |
53.0 (2.09) |
43.7 (1.72) |
39.8 (1.57) |
40.4 (1.59) |
40.7 (1.60) |
16.0 (0.63) |
4.5 (0.18) |
307.5 (12.11) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 39.0 (15.4) |
25.5 (10.0) |
19.6 (7.7) |
6.6 (2.6) |
0.6 (0.2) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
7.2 (2.8) |
28.3 (11.1) |
36.5 (14.4) |
163.3 (64.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.9 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 9.8 | 12.8 | 13.7 | 12.5 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 15.8 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 144.0 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 8.2 | 12.6 | 13.7 | 12.5 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 14.7 | 6.1 | 1.8 | 101.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 11.4 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 7.4 | 10.1 | 45.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 40.4 | 84.6 | 142.5 | 191.1 | 242.2 | 247.2 | 277.3 | 245.4 | 178.8 | 106.0 | 45.0 | 27.3 | 1,827.7 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 16.4 | 30.9 | 38.9 | 45.4 | 48.8 | 48.1 | 53.8 | 53.1 | 46.7 | 32.4 | 17.6 | 11.9 | 37.0 |
Images for kids
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A friendly robot
See also
In Spanish: Lago Babine para niños
