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Brentwood Bay harbour 1Photo: Ken Walker · CC BY 2.5
Climate in Central Saanich · ECCC 1991–2020 normals

Central 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.

July afternoons: cooler than 94% of Canadian towns
January nights: milder than 97% of Canadian towns
Rain and snow a year: wetter than 50% of Canadian towns

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.

Jan8°C2°CWettest
Feb9°C1°CColdest nights
Mar11°C3°C
Apr14°C5°CLast frost ~4 Apr
May18°C8°C
Jun20°C10°C
Jul23°C12°CWarmest
Aug23°C12°C
Sep20°C9°C
Oct14°C6°C
Nov now10°C3°CFirst frost ~4 Nov
Dec7°C2°CSnowiest

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.

A normal year

What a year in Central Saanich feels like

Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.

Winter
8°C / 2°C
386 mm, with 31 cm of snow: the wettest season
Spring
14°C / 5°C
165 mm of rain and snow
Summer
22°C / 11°C
73 mm of rain and snow
Autumn
15°C / 6°C
278 mm of rain and snow
Best months to be outsideJunJulAugSepHighs of 17–27°C and nights of 8°C or more
Frost & warm days

Frost on 45 days, 20°C on 83

Frost comes from November to April, most of all in January (about 10 nights).

45
Frost days a year (0°C or below)
Fewer frosts than 97% of Canadian towns
2
Days that stay below 0°C
83
Days a year above 20°C
2
Days a year above 30°C

Frost days by month

Average days at 0°C or below

10
JFMAMJJASOND

Days above 20°C by month

Average days

25
JFMAMJJASOND
Rain & snow

About 901 mm of rain and snow a year

About 119 days a year bring 1 mm or more.

901 mm
Rain and snow a year
Wetter than 50% of Canadian towns
867 mm
Of it as rain alone (96%)
155 mm
January, the wettest month
20 mm
July, the driest month

Rain and snow by month

Millimetres

155 mm
JFMAMJJASOND

Rain alone by month

Millimetres

144 mm
JFMAMJJASOND
Snow

39 cm of snow in a typical year

From November to March snow is likely; December is the peak, at about 12 cm.

39 cm
Snowfall a year
Less snowy than 96% of Canadian towns
7
Days a year with 0.2 cm of snow or more
8
Days a year with 1 cm or more on the ground
3 cm
Snow on the ground at the end of December, the deepest month

Snowfall by month

Centimetres

12 cm
JFMAMJJASOND

Snow on the ground by month

Centimetres at month’s end

3 cm
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating

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.

2,878 heating degree days (below 18°C)a year, 1991–2020
2,056 growing degree days (above 5°C)a year, 1991–2020

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 here

Living with Central Saanich’s climate

What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.

The garden window

About 213 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 4 April to a first of 4 November.

Get outside

Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.

Parks & trails →
Humidex

Plan shade and water for about 6 days a year above 30 on the humidex.

Storms and extremes

A normal year has no blizzard, flood or heat wave in it; Central Saanich’s hazards page looks at those.

Flood & hazards →
Weather station

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 town8.7 km north
Station altitude20 m
Completenessmeets the WMO “3 and 5” rule
WMO standard normalsNo
Coldest reading, 1991–2020−10.5°C
Hottest reading, 1991–202036.3°C
Average wind9.7 km/h on average, most often from the west
Next-nearest locationVictoria (University), 16 km
Compared with other towns

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.

July afternoons22.7°C
Central SaanichMedian Canadian town
14°C18°C22°C26°C30°C
Cooler than 94% of Canadian towns
January nights1.6°C
Central SaanichMedian Canadian town
−25°C−20°C−15°C−10°C−5°C0°C5°C
Milder than 97% of Canadian towns
Rain and snow a year901 mm
Central SaanichMedian Canadian town
01,0002,0003,000
Wetter than 50% of Canadian towns
Snowfall a year39 cm
Central SaanichMedian Canadian town
0100200300400500
Less snowy than 96% of Canadian towns
Next door

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.

TownJuly highJanuary lowRain & snow
Central Saanich Victoria (Airport)22.7°C1.6°C901 mm
Saanich 12 km · Victoria (University)23.7°C 1.0°C warmer3.4°C 1.8°C milder661 mm
View Royal 13 km · Victoria Gonzales (City)20.6°C 2.1°C cooler3.8°C 2.2°C milder675 mm
Month by month

Central Saanich weather by month

Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.

MonthHighLowMeanRain & snowSnow
January7.5°C1.6°C4.6°C155 mm11 cm
February8.7°C1.4°C5.0°C85 mm7 cm
March10.8°C2.7°C6.8°C80 mm4 cm
April13.7°C4.6°C9.1°C48 mm1 cm
May17.5°C7.6°C12.6°C37 mm0 cm
June20.2°C10.1°C15.2°C29 mm0 cm
July22.7°C11.7°C17.2°C20 mm0 cm
August22.6°C11.6°C17.1°C24 mm0 cm
September19.7°C9.2°C14.5°C36 mm0 cm
October14.3°C6.0°C10.2°C96 mmunder 1 cm
November9.9°C3.0°C6.5°C146 mm4 cm
December7.3°C1.5°C4.4°C146 mm12 cm
Year14.6°C5.9°C10.3°C901 mm39 cm
Year to year

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).

Record low to record high, 1991–2020Normal
Sources

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).