Vancouver climate
Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 1,283 mm51 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Vancouver climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 643 | 337 | 440 | 1947.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 744 | 337 | 540 | 1034.0 | 4 |
| Mar | 948 | 440 | 644 | 1425.6 | 1 |
| Apr | 1253 | 644 | 948 | 873.4 | 0 |
| May | 1660 | 1050 | 1355 | 602.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 1865 | 1254 | 1559 | 461.8 | 0 |
| Jul | 2171 | 1558 | 1864 | 261.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 2171 | 1559 | 1865 | 331.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 1864 | 1355 | 1559 | 702.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1355 | 948 | 1151 | 1405.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 947 | 541 | 744 | 2068.1 | 1 |
| Dec | 642 | 337 | 440 | 1777.0 | 5 |
| Year | 2171 | 337 | 1151 | 1,28351 | 15 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 81% | 0.9 | 8:37 |
| Feb | 84% | 75% | 1.7 | 10:04 |
| Mar | 83% | 81% | 2.6 | 11:44 |
| Apr | 80% | 78% | 3.9 | 13:39 |
| May | 77% | 71% | 5.2 | 15:18 |
| Jun | 77% | 71% | 5.5 | 16:13 |
| Jul | 75% | 50% | 6.2 | 15:50 |
| Aug | 75% | 50% | 5.2 | 14:23 |
| Sep | 79% | 58% | 3.6 | 12:31 |
| Oct | 84% | 73% | 2.0 | 10:40 |
| Nov | 87% | 81% | 1.0 | 9:02 |
| Dec | 87% | 81% | 0.7 | 8:13 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Vancouver is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 21 °C71 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 6 °C42 °F and lows 3 °C37 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14 °C25.2 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,283 mm51 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 45% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (206 mm8.1 in), the driest is July (26 mm1.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in July to 88% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 50%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in August to 9 km/h (6 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 8.2 hours in December to 16.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Vancouver
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–August: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 21 °C71 °F with 26 mm1.0 in to 46 mm1.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 6 °C43 °F and very wet (194 mm7.6 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Vancouver
- Winter (December–February) — highs 642 to 7 °C44 °F, lows around 3 °C37 °F, about 158 mm6.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 948 to 16 °C60 °F, lows 440 to 10 °C50 °F, about 96 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1865 to 21 °C71 °F, lows 1254 to 15 °C59 °F, about 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 947 to 18 °C64 °F, lows 541 to 13 °C55 °F, about 139 mm5.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Vancouver compares
Compared with Seattle, about 192 km to the south, Vancouver is on average 0.3 °C0.6 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in March (0.5 °C0.9 °F cooler).
Of the 40 places in Canada covered by World Climates, Vancouver is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Canada climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Seattle (United States, Csb), Everett (United States, Csb) and Hillsboro (United States, Csb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Richmond (pop. 209,937) and Delta (pop. 101,668). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Vancouver, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Burnaby 12 km · 10 °C50 °F · 2,174 mm86 in
- Coquitlam 25 km · 10 °C50 °F · 2,333 mm92 in
- Surrey 27 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,283 mm51 in
- Abbotsford 67 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,403 mm55 in
- Chilliwack 85 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,815 mm71 in
- Victoria 92 km · 11 °C51 °F · 991 mm39 in
- Everett 157 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,253 mm49 in
- Seattle 192 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,232 mm49 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Vancouver?
August is the warmest month in Vancouver, with an average high of 21 °C (71 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Vancouver?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (42 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (37 °F).
When does it rain the most in Vancouver?
November is the wettest month with about 206 mm (8.1 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 26 mm (1.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Vancouver?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–August.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.