Photo: Ken Walker · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any Canadian towns see softer January nights than Courtenay
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 23.1°C on average. Precipitation peaks in December and eases off in July. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 88% of Canadian towns. Ice scrapers and block heaters earn their keep on roughly 46 days a year at 0°C or below.
These are not Courtenay’s own readings: ECCC keeps no normals there, so the page uses Comox, 6.5 km north-east.
A year in Courtenay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Courtenay’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Courtenay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 46 frosts and 80 warm days a year
Frosts fall from November to March; December has the most, about 11.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 1,152 mm of rain and snow a year
Some 131 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 51 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs November to March; December brings the most, about 17 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Courtenay
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
One degree below 18°C for one day makes one heating degree day; the year’s days are added together. Over a year, a home here needs less heating than 94% of Canadian towns.
Living with Courtenay’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Between the last frost, near 1 April, and the first, near 6 November, lie about 218 frost-free days.
For long days outdoors, May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Expect around 8 sticky days a year with the humidex above 30.
Thirty-year normals hide the storms and the extremes: the hazards page has Courtenay’s risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Comox
Comox is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 6.5 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 26 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −10.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.2°C |
| Average wind | 12.5 km/h on average, most often from the south-east |
| Next-nearest location | Campbell River, 35 km |
How Courtenay 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 Courtenay’s would only repeat its figures. No closer place has figures: this one lies 29 km from Courtenay.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtenay Comox | 23.1°C | 1.5°C | 1,152 mm |
| Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay - Buttle Lake), Strathcona 29 km · Campbell River | 23.5°C about the same | −0.5°C 2.0°C colder | 1,482 mm |
Courtenay weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature, rain and snow (as water) and snowfall by month, 1991–2020.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.3°C | 1.5°C | 3.9°C | 177 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 7.2°C | 1.2°C | 4.2°C | 112 mm | 9 cm |
| March | 9.5°C | 2.6°C | 6.1°C | 108 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 12.9°C | 5.0°C | 9.0°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 17.2°C | 8.6°C | 12.9°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 19.9°C | 11.5°C | 15.7°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.1°C | 13.7°C | 18.5°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.0°C | 13.5°C | 18.3°C | 31 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.1°C | 10.5°C | 14.8°C | 47 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12.9°C | 6.3°C | 9.6°C | 125 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 8.7°C | 3.1°C | 5.9°C | 189 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 6.2°C | 1.3°C | 3.7°C | 194 mm | 17 cm |
| Year | 13.8°C | 6.6°C | 10.2°C | 1,152 mm | 51 cm |
A February here can run warm or cold, its average moving by about 1.5°C; the steadiest month is October
Over 1991–2020, June saw both 3.5°C (2001) and 33.8°C (2018), the widest span of any month.
Where Courtenay’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at Comox (the closest location with all twelve months of temperatures).
- Comparisons: all Canadian places of 2,500 or more except city totals and reserves, each read the same way.
- Not on this page: sunshine (no 1991–2020 normals exist for it) and any altitude adjustment, since there is no elevation for the town itself.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Courtenay’s climate
How warm does Courtenay get in summer?
Of all twelve months, July has the warmest afternoons, about 23.1°C.
How cold does Courtenay get in winter?
Winter bottoms out in February, with lows near 1.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Courtenay get?
December is the wettest month at 194 mm and July the driest at 24 mm, for 1,152 mm over the year.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
A layer of at least 1 cm stays down on about 10 days a year.
Are these figures for Courtenay itself?
Not directly: Courtenay has no ECCC normals of its own, and Comox stands in for it.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Courtenay →
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).