Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainElectoral Area D, Central Kootenay is among the driest of Canadian towns: 386 mm of rain and snow a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 27.4°C. Seasons differ by 31°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 95% of Canadian towns. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 80 days a year with 1 mm or more.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay come from Nakusp, 57 km west, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 117 frosts and 112 warm days a year
The frost season runs October to April, peaking in December at about 26 nights. About 21 days a year top 30°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
386 mm of precipitation in a typical year
June brings the most rain and snow; February, the least.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Nakusp publishes no full year of precipitation, so these figures come from Cranbrook, 107 km away.
Heating a home in Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay
90% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days. In heating terms, homes need less heating than 87% of Canadian towns.
Living with Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Winter brings about 2 days with a wind chill below −20.
About 31 days a year turn sultry, with the humidex past 30.
The normals describe a typical year, not its worst days; the hazards page covers Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay’s.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Nakusp
Nakusp is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 57 km west |
| Station altitude | 512 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Precipitation from | Cranbrook, 107 km |
| Snowfall from | No location within 100 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −20.3°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 40.4°C |
| Average wind | 4.4 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Nelson, 71 km |
How Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in British Columbia.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay’s would only repeat its figures. No closer place has figures: this one lies 25 km from Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay Nakusp | 27.4°C | −3.8°C | 386 mm |
| Kaslo 25 km · Nelson | 28.5°C 1.1°C warmer | −2.9°C 0.9°C milder | 386 mm |
Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and precipitation by month, 1991–2020.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.6°C | −3.8°C | −1.7°C | 27 mm |
| February | 3.2°C | −3.5°C | −0.2°C | 20 mm |
| March | 8.2°C | −1.1°C | 3.6°C | 27 mm |
| April | 13.9°C | 2.0°C | 8.0°C | 23 mm |
| May | 20.1°C | 6.2°C | 13.2°C | 42 mm |
| June | 23.4°C | 10.0°C | 16.8°C | 62 mm |
| July | 27.4°C | 12.3°C | 20.0°C | 35 mm |
| August | 26.5°C | 11.8°C | 19.2°C | 24 mm |
| September | 20.2°C | 8.0°C | 14.1°C | 30 mm |
| October | 11.6°C | 3.5°C | 7.5°C | 26 mm |
| November | 4.8°C | −0.1°C | 2.4°C | 35 mm |
| December | 0.5°C | −3.5°C | −1.5°C | 35 mm |
| Year | 13.4°C | 3.5°C | 8.5°C | 386 mm |
From −2.1°C to 36.9°C: September’s coldest and warmest days since 1991
Year to year, February varies most (a standard deviation of 2.2°C around −0.2°C) and October least (1.0°C).
Where Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Nakusp, the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Other locations: precipitation and snowfall come from the nearest location that publishes all twelve months of them, as named above.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- Not on this page: a snowfall figure (none within 100 km), sunshine (none for 1991–2020) and 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 Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay’s climate
How warm does Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 27.4°C.
How cold does Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay get in winter?
The year’s coldest nights belong to January, at about −3.8°C.
How much rain and snow does Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay get?
Some 386 mm falls in a year. Most of it comes in June (62 mm), the least in February (20 mm).
Are these figures for Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay itself?
No. The nearest normals are those of Nakusp, a long way from Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Electoral Area D, Central Kootenay →
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).