Few Canadian towns have milder winter nights than Cowichan Bay
Midsummer highs settle at about 22.7°C. Precipitation peaks in January and eases off in July. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 94% of Canadian towns. About 119 days a year bring 1 mm of precipitation or more.
No ECCC station in Cowichan Bay has 1991–2020 normals; the page reads Victoria (Airport), 17 km south-east, instead.
A year in Cowichan Bay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Cowichan Bay’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Cowichan Bay feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 45 frosts and 83 warm days a year
Frosts fall from November to April; January has the most, about 10.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 901 mm a year
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 39 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from November to March, with about 12 cm in December, the snowiest month.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Cowichan Bay
84% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
Behind the figure: the degrees each day’s mean falls under 18°C, summed for the year. Homes here need less heating than 95% of Canadian towns.
Living with Cowichan Bay’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
A normal year gives the garden about 213 frost-free days, roughly 4 April to 4 November.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Count on some 6 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
Thirty years of averages say little about one bad storm; Cowichan Bay’s hazards page does.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Victoria (Airport)
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Victoria (Airport) are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 17 km south-east |
| 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 | Saturna CAPMON, 36 km |
How Cowichan Bay 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 Cowichan Bay’s own would show the same figures). The nearest places to Cowichan Bay with figures are 25–35 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowichan Bay Victoria (Airport) | 22.7°C | 1.6°C | 901 mm |
| Southern Gulf Islands 25 km · Saturna CAPMON | 21.6°C 1.1°C cooler | 2.3°C 0.7°C milder | 802 mm |
| Langford 33 km · Victoria Gonzales (City) | 20.6°C 2.1°C cooler | 3.8°C 2.2°C milder | 675 mm |
| Saanich 35 km · Victoria (University) | 23.7°C 1.0°C warmer | 3.4°C 1.8°C milder | 661 mm |
Cowichan Bay 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 | 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 |
June has run from 2.1°C to 33.5°C in thirty years
The month to count on least is February: one year in three its average strays more than 1.5°C from 5.0°C. August moves least, typically by 0.7°C.
Where Cowichan Bay’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: 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: hours of sunshine, missing from the 1991–2020 normals, and a height correction: the town has no elevation on file.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Cowichan Bay’s climate
How warm does Cowichan Bay get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 22.7°C.
How cold does Cowichan Bay get in winter?
Midwinter means February, when a typical night reaches 1.4°C.
How much rain and snow does Cowichan Bay get?
January is the wettest month at 155 mm and July the driest at 20 mm, for 901 mm over the year.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
The ground is white, with 1 cm or more, on some 8 days a year.
Are these figures for Cowichan Bay itself?
They are the closest available: the normals for Victoria (Airport), since Cowichan Bay has none.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Cowichan Bay →
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).