Photo: Ken Walker · CC BY 2.5Central Saanich sits near the top of Canadian towns for mild winters
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 22.7°C. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 94% of Canadian towns. Expect the most rain and snow in January and the least in July. Have the furnace checked before November to April, the months that average under 10°C.
The nearest ECCC normals location to Central Saanich is Victoria (Airport), 8.7 km north, and every figure on this page is its.
A year in Central Saanich at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Central Saanich’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Central Saanich feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
Frost on 45 days, 20°C on 83
Frost comes from November to April, most of all in January (about 10 nights).
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 901 mm of rain and snow a year
About 119 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
39 cm of snow in a typical year
From November to March snow is likely; December is the peak, at about 12 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Central Saanich
84% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
Think of it as a year’s worth of daily shortfalls below 18°C, added up. A house here needs less heating than 95% of Canadian towns.
Living with Central Saanich’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
About 213 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 4 April to a first of 4 November.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Plan shade and water for about 6 days a year above 30 on the humidex.
A normal year has no blizzard, flood or heat wave in it; Central Saanich’s hazards page looks at those.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Victoria (Airport)
Victoria (Airport) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 8.7 km north |
| Station altitude | 20 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −10.5°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 36.3°C |
| Average wind | 9.7 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Victoria (University), 16 km |
How Central Saanich compares
Against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, each read from its own normals location; the dots are the other locations those towns use in British Columbia.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Central Saanich’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 12–15 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Central Saanich.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Saanich Victoria (Airport) | 22.7°C | 1.6°C | 901 mm |
| Saanich 12 km · Victoria (University) | 23.7°C 1.0°C warmer | 3.4°C 1.8°C milder | 661 mm |
| View Royal 13 km · Victoria Gonzales (City) | 20.6°C 2.1°C cooler | 3.8°C 2.2°C milder | 675 mm |
Central Saanich 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 | 7.5°C | 1.6°C | 4.6°C | 155 mm | 11 cm |
| February | 8.7°C | 1.4°C | 5.0°C | 85 mm | 7 cm |
| March | 10.8°C | 2.7°C | 6.8°C | 80 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 13.7°C | 4.6°C | 9.1°C | 48 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 17.5°C | 7.6°C | 12.6°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 20.2°C | 10.1°C | 15.2°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22.7°C | 11.7°C | 17.2°C | 20 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.6°C | 11.6°C | 17.1°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.7°C | 9.2°C | 14.5°C | 36 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14.3°C | 6.0°C | 10.2°C | 96 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 9.9°C | 3.0°C | 6.5°C | 146 mm | 4 cm |
| December | 7.3°C | 1.5°C | 4.4°C | 146 mm | 12 cm |
| Year | 14.6°C | 5.9°C | 10.3°C | 901 mm | 39 cm |
February strays furthest from its normal year to year, by 1.5°C; August the least
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high since 1991. June spans the most, from 2.1°C (1991) to 33.5°C (2003).
Where Central Saanich’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, Victoria (Airport): the nearest of its locations with every month’s temperatures.
- Comparisons: a pool of Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, read alike; whole cities and reserves stay out of it.
- Not on this page: a sunshine figure (ECCC published none for 1991–2020) and any lapse-rate correction for height, as the town has no elevation here.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Central Saanich’s climate
How warm does Central Saanich get in summer?
At its warmest, in July, the normal high is 22.7°C.
How cold does Central Saanich get in winter?
The coldest nights come in February, averaging 1.4°C.
How much rain and snow does Central Saanich get?
The yearly total is about 901 mm. January gets 155 mm, the most of any month; July gets 20 mm, the least.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Around 8 days a year see 1 cm of snow or more lying.
Are these figures for Central Saanich itself?
Not quite: they come from Victoria (Airport), the closest ECCC normals location to Central Saanich.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Central Saanich →
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).