Lakes in French-speaking Switzerland
The 7 lakes in French-speaking Switzerland tracked by meteo-ch.ch, each with its area, depth, altitude and the winds that rise on it. The largest is Lake Geneva (580 km²), the deepest Lake Geneva (309 m). Every lake has its own weather page, with wind direction and gusts.
| Lake | Cantons | Altitude | Area | Depth | Winds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Geneva | VD, GE, VS | 372 m | 580.0 km² | 309 m | bise (NE), vent (SW), joran, séchard |
| Lake Murten | FR, VD | 429 m | 23.0 km² | 46 m | bise (NE), vent d'ouest |
| Lake Gruyère | FR | 677 m | 9.6 km² | 75 m | bise, vent d'ouest |
| Lake Joux | VD | 1 004 m | 9.5 km² | 34 m | bise (NE), vent (SW), joran |
| Schwarzsee (Lac Noir) | FR | 1 046 m | 0.5 km² | 10 m | bise, vents thermiques |
| Lake Tanay | VS | 1 408 m | 0.3 km² | 40 m | vents de montagne |
| Lake Champex | VS | 1 466 m | 0.1 km² | 6 m | vents de montagne, abrité |
The wind, not the temperature
On a lake, what decides an outing is almost never the air temperature: it is the wind. These 7 lakes add up to 622 km² of water, and each has its own regimes — the bise coming down from the north-east, the joran dropping off the Jura in minutes, the afternoon thermal breeze.
That is why the lake pages give direction and gusts, not just the mean speed: 15 km/h on average with gusts to 45 is not the same day as a steady 15.
See also
Do these pages give the water temperature?
No. A lake's water temperature depends on depth, mixing and the sunshine of preceding weeks; no open source publishes it for the 7 lakes tracked. The pages give air, wind and precipitation.
Why does depth appear in the table?
Because it explains how the lake behaves. Lake Geneva (309 m) warms slowly and never freezes; a shallow lake follows the air closely and can ice over in a cold winter.