Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainHardly any Canadian towns see hotter July days than Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap
On a normal January night the air cools to about −5.6°C. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 34°C. In January, nights here are milder than in 93% of Canadian towns. The furnace earns its keep from October to April, the months that average under 10°C.
Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap has no ECCC normals station of its own: every figure here comes from Salmon Arm, 31 km south.
A year in Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap’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 F, Columbia-Shuswap feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 127 frosts and 125 warm days a year
The frost season runs October to April, peaking in December at about 27 nights. Heat of 30°C or more comes on about 26 days a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
654 mm of precipitation in a typical year
November is the wettest month and August the driest. About 121 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 203 cm in a normal year
From November to March snow is likely; December is the peak, at about 71 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap
91% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Heating degree days total each day’s gap between its mean temperature and 18°C. A house here needs less heating than 88% of Canadian towns.
Living with Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
The growing season between frosts lasts about 160 days, roughly 28 April to 6 October.
The outdoor season by the averages is Jun, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Plan for about 5 days a year with a wind chill below −20.
Humid summer days, the humidex above 30, number about 46 a year.
Thirty-year normals hide the storms and the extremes: the hazards page has Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap’s risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Salmon Arm
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Salmon Arm are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 31 km south |
| Station altitude | 527 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −27.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 39.9°C |
| Average wind | 4.3 km/h on average, most often from the south |
| Next-nearest location | Vernon, 77 km |
How Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap 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
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap’s own would show the same figures). No closer places have figures: these lie 39–58 km from Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap Salmon Arm | 28.3°C | −5.6°C | 654 mm |
| Sun Peaks Mountain 39 km · Kamloops | 29.3°C 1.0°C warmer | −5.7°C about the same | 273 mm |
| Armstrong 58 km · Vernon | 28.4°C about the same | −6.4°C 0.8°C colder | 447 mm |
Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.6°C | −5.6°C | −2.6°C | 78 mm | 69 cm |
| February | 3.3°C | −5.1°C | −0.9°C | 37 mm | 22 cm |
| March | 9.3°C | −1.5°C | 3.9°C | 39 mm | 12 cm |
| April | 15.5°C | 2.3°C | 8.9°C | 41 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 21.1°C | 7.0°C | 14.1°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24.1°C | 10.5°C | 17.3°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28.3°C | 12.8°C | 20.6°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27.6°C | 11.7°C | 19.7°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21.4°C | 7.5°C | 14.5°C | 41 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12.8°C | 2.6°C | 7.7°C | 61 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 5.5°C | −1.2°C | 2.2°C | 83 mm | 28 cm |
| December | 0.9°C | −4.9°C | −2.1°C | 78 mm | 71 cm |
| Year | 14.2°C | 3.0°C | 8.6°C | 654 mm | 203 cm |
Two years in three, February’s average lands within 2.9°C of normal, against the steadier August
The thirty-year records stretch furthest in November: a low of −25.7°C in 2006 and a high of 17.8°C in 2016.
Where Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals for Salmon Arm, the nearest location with a full year of temperatures.
- Comparisons: the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ across Canada, each on its nearest normals location, without the city totals or the reserves.
- Not on this page: sunshine, not in ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals, and the effect of the town’s height, for which there is no figure.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap’s climate
How warm does Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap get in summer?
A normal July afternoon tops out at about 28.3°C, the year’s high point.
How cold does Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap get in winter?
Of all twelve months, January has the coldest nights, about −5.6°C.
How much rain and snow does Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap get?
Over twelve months, rain and melted snow come to 654 mm; the range runs from 35 mm in August to 83 mm in November.
Are these figures for Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap itself?
They describe Salmon Arm, the nearest normals location, rather than Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap →
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).