| Lac d'Aiguebelette | |
|---|---|
 A view of the Lac d'Aiguebelette | |
  Lac d'Aiguebelette | |
 | |
| Location | Savoie |
| Coordinates | 45°33′10″N5°47′50″E / 45.55278°N 5.79722°E /45.55278; 5.79722 |
| Primary inflows | Leysse de Novalaise |
| Primary outflows | Tiers |
| Catchment area | 70 km2 (27 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | France |
| Surface area | 5.45 km2 (2.10 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 71 m (233 ft) |
| Water volume | 166×10 |
| Surface elevation | 390.5 m (1,281 ft) |
| Frozen | 1909, 1929, 1941, 1942, 1956 |
| Islands | 2 |
| Settlements | Aiguebelette-le-Lac,Lépin-le-Lac,Saint-Alban-de-Montbel,Novalaise,Nances |
TheLac d'Aiguebelette (French pronunciation:[lakdɛɡbəlɛt]; Lake of Aiguebelette) is a naturallake north of theChartreuse Mountains in theFrench Alps and just west of theChaîne de l'Épine in theJura Mountains. It is located within fivecommunes in theSavoiedepartment:Aiguebelette-le-Lac,Lépin-le-Lac,Saint-Alban-de-Montbel,Novalaise andNances.
The lake hosted the1997 and2015 World Rowing Championships.[1][2]
With a surface area of 5.45 km2 (2.10 sq mi) it is one of the largest natural lakes of France.[3][4] It is the fourth-largest natural lake in theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpesregion, afterLake Geneva (although partly inSwitzerland),Lake Annecy and theLac du Bourget. It has a maximum depth of 71 metres (233 ft). It is part of the Avant-Pays savoyard, formerly known as the Petit-Bugey.
It is noted for its blue-green colour and seven hot water springs. The communities ofAiguebelette-le-Lac,Lépin-le-Lac,Saint-Alban-de-Montbel,Novalaise andNances border the lake, while theChaîne de l'Épine ridge lies to the east with its high point at Mont Grêle (1,425 metres or 4,675 ft), south-southeast of the lake.
At the southern end there are two islands, La Petite Île and La Grande Île, the latter of which has a chapel, the Chapelle Saint-Vincent, administratively part of the commune of Lépin-le-Lac.
The lake is served by the railway line fromSaint-André-le-Gaz toChambéry; the section betweenLépin-le-Lac-La Bauche station (southwest) andAiguebelette-le-Lac station (southeast) offers panoramic views on the lake.
TheA43 autoroute is north of the lake.
Lake Aiguebelette has anoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb) closely bordering on ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa). The average annual temperature in Lake Aiguebelette is 11.8 °C (53.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,306.8 mm (51.45 in) with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 21.2 °C (70.2 °F), and lowest in January, at around 2.7 °C (36.9 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Lake Aiguebelette was 36.9 °C (98.4 °F) on 24 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −14.3 °C (6.3 °F) on 20 December 2009.
| Climate data for Lac d'Aiguebelette (1991−2020 normals, extremes 2004−2021) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) | 20.2 (68.4) | 24.3 (75.7) | 28.5 (83.3) | 32.3 (90.1) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.9 (98.4) | 36.2 (97.2) | 31.8 (89.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 24.1 (75.4) | 19.6 (67.3) | 36.9 (98.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 7.6 (45.7) | 12.3 (54.1) | 17.3 (63.1) | 20.4 (68.7) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 22.3 (72.1) | 17.2 (63.0) | 10.8 (51.4) | 6.4 (43.5) | 16.6 (61.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 3.5 (38.3) | 7.3 (45.1) | 11.6 (52.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 19.1 (66.4) | 21.2 (70.2) | 20.4 (68.7) | 17.0 (62.6) | 12.8 (55.0) | 7.2 (45.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | 11.8 (53.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.2 (36.0) | 5.8 (42.4) | 9.5 (49.1) | 13.3 (55.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 14.5 (58.1) | 11.7 (53.1) | 8.4 (47.1) | 3.6 (38.5) | 0.1 (32.2) | 6.9 (44.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) | −13.6 (7.5) | −13.0 (8.6) | −2.9 (26.8) | 0.4 (32.7) | 3.0 (37.4) | 8.2 (46.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 4.4 (39.9) | −1.6 (29.1) | −8.4 (16.9) | −14.3 (6.3) | −14.3 (6.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 107.6 (4.24) | 88.5 (3.48) | 110.2 (4.34) | 94.6 (3.72) | 141.6 (5.57) | 110.2 (4.34) | 105.2 (4.14) | 112.1 (4.41) | 89.3 (3.52) | 109.1 (4.30) | 111.4 (4.39) | 127.0 (5.00) | 1,306.8 (51.45) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.3 | 9.3 | 12.1 | 9.4 | 12.5 | 9.8 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 9.7 | 10.3 | 12.6 | 122.1 |
| Source:Météo-France[5] | |||||||||||||
TheChaîne de l'Épine ridge is crossed by hiking trails;paragliders launch from there during the summer.
Motorboats are not allowed on the lake to preserve the silence and wildlife along the lake. There are noted views of the lake from the church at Saint-Alban-de-Montbel and the mountain ridges.
