Few Canadian towns get fewer frosts than South Slope
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 22.4°C. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of Canadian towns. Some 21°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to September, with highs of 19–22°C.
South Slope has no ECCC normals station of its own: every figure here comes from Vancouver International (Airport), 13 km west.
A year in South Slope at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about South Slope’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in South Slope feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
Frost on 40 days, 20°C on 79
The frost season runs November to March, peaking in January at about 10 nights.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 1,160 mm of rain and snow a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. Some 137 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 37 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from November to March, most of all in December (about 14 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in South Slope
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
Every day colder than 18°C on average adds its gap in degrees to the year’s heating total. Homes here need less heating than 97% of Canadian towns.
Living with South Slope’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
About 235 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 19 March to a first of 10 November.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Muggy heat with a humidex over 30 arrives on about 6 days a year.
Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on South Slope’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Vancouver International (Airport)
ECCC builds the Vancouver International (Airport) normals from 2 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 13 km west |
| Station altitude | 4 m |
| Completeness | at least 25 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −15.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 34.4°C |
| Average wind | 13.0 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Vancouver (Harbour), 13 km |
How South Slope compares
Placed among 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+, each on its nearest normals location; each dot is another location used in British Columbia.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share South Slope’s would only repeat its figures.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Slope Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C | 1.4°C | 1,160 mm |
| Royal Oak 1.9 km · Vancouver (Harbour) | 23.0°C 0.6°C warmer | 3.3°C 1.9°C milder | 1,537 mm |
South Slope weather by month
Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.8°C | 1.4°C | 4.1°C | 174 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 7.9°C | 1.5°C | 4.7°C | 91 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 10.1°C | 3.3°C | 6.7°C | 106 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 13.1°C | 5.7°C | 9.4°C | 86 mm | under 1 cm |
| May | 16.9°C | 9.0°C | 13.0°C | 59 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 19.6°C | 11.9°C | 15.8°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22.4°C | 13.9°C | 18.2°C | 34 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.4°C | 14.0°C | 18.2°C | 36 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.1°C | 11.2°C | 15.2°C | 52 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13.5°C | 7.0°C | 10.3°C | 124 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 9.3°C | 3.6°C | 6.4°C | 175 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 6.6°C | 1.2°C | 3.9°C | 172 mm | 14 cm |
| Year | 14.0°C | 7.0°C | 10.5°C | 1,160 mm | 37 cm |
January strays furthest from its normal year to year, by 1.7°C; August the least
Over 1991–2020, December saw both −15.2°C (2008) and 14.3°C (2005), the widest span of any month.
Where South Slope’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Vancouver International (Airport), the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Comparisons: Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500, each placed by its nearest location (city totals and reserves excluded).
- Not on this page: sunshine, absent from every 1991–2020 location, and an altitude correction, for want of the town’s own elevation.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about South Slope’s climate
How warm does South Slope get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 22.4°C.
How cold does South Slope get in winter?
A typical December night falls to 1.2°C, the year’s low point.
How much rain and snow does South Slope get?
Over twelve months, rain and melted snow come to 1,160 mm; the range runs from 34 mm in July to 175 mm in November.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Roughly 8 days a year start with snow cover of 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for South Slope itself?
Only indirectly: the readings are made at Vancouver International (Airport), outside South Slope.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for South Slope →
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).