Hucuktlis Lake (pronounced "who chook-tlis"), formerly Henderson Lake, is a lake on
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
that drains south into head of
Uchucklesaht Inlet on the north side of lower
Alberni Inlet
Alberni Inlet (formerly known as Alberni Canal) is a long, narrow inlet in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that stretches from the Pacific Ocean at Barkley Sound about inland terminating at Port Alberni. It was named by the Spanish e ...
.
Etymology
Hucuktlis means "place way inside", which refers to the inland nature of the lake relative to Uchucklesit Inlet. The Uchucklesaht traditionally used this lake as well as the lands and mountains around the lake for their spiritual practices.
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History
In 1917, Henderson Lake was adopted as the official name of the lake, correcting a map error featured in a 1912 map of the region.[
In 2018, the official name of the lake was changed to Hucuktlis Lake upon the recommendation of the ]Uchucklesaht First Nation
The Uchucklesaht Tribe, or Uchucklesaht First Nation, is a modern treaty government located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. ...
. The name change was supported by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.[
]
Geography
The lake is located about 25 kilometres east-southeast of Port Alberni along the West Coast of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
. Clemens Creek flows into the northern tip of the lake. The Hucuktlis River drains the lake into the northern end of Uchucklesit Inlet, an arm of Alberni Inlet
Alberni Inlet (formerly known as Alberni Canal) is a long, narrow inlet in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that stretches from the Pacific Ocean at Barkley Sound about inland terminating at Port Alberni. It was named by the Spanish e ...
.[
]
Climate
Weather data from the Hucuktlis Lake fish hatchery shows that the lake is situated in the wettest place in North America. Hucuktlis Lake averages of precipitation, and in 1997 fell, setting the all-time Canadian record.
See also
*Weather extremes in Canada This table shows record weather extremes in Canada.
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Record !! Extreme !! Location !! Date
, -
, Highest Temperature , , {{convert, {{convert, 49.6, °C, °F, abbr=on , , Lytton, British Columbia , , June 29, 2021
, ...
*Wettest places on Earth
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
References
Alberni Valley
Lakes of Vancouver Island
Clayoquot Land District
{{BritishColumbia-geo-stub