Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainHardly any Canadian towns wake to less frost than Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 22.4°C. Expect the most rain and snow in November and the least in July. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of Canadian towns. Homes need heating from November to April, the months averaging under 10°C.
Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Vancouver International (Airport), 51 km east, so read them as the wider area’s climate.
A year in Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley’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 H, Cowichan Valley feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
Frost on 40 days, 20°C on 79
Frosts fall from November to March; 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
1,160 mm of precipitation in a typical year
On about 137 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 37 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from November to March, most of all in December (about 14 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley
87% 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. Homes here need less heating than 97% of Canadian towns.
Living with Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
On average the last spring frost comes around 19 March and the first autumn frost around 10 November: about 235 frost-free days between.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →On some 6 days a year the humidex climbs past 30.
What averages leave out, the floods and ice storms, is on Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Vancouver International (Airport)
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Vancouver International (Airport) are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 51 km east |
| Station altitude | 4 m |
| Completeness | at least 25 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −15.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 34.4°C |
| Average wind | 13.0 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Victoria (Airport), 51 km |
How Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in British Columbia.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley whose figures come from another normals location.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C | 1.4°C | 1,160 mm |
| Ladysmith 4.2 km · Victoria (Airport) | 22.7°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 901 mm |
| Electoral Area A, Nanaimo 8.3 km · Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,160 mm |
Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley 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 | 6.8°C | 1.4°C | 4.1°C | 174 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 7.9°C | 1.5°C | 4.7°C | 91 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 10.1°C | 3.3°C | 6.7°C | 106 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 13.1°C | 5.7°C | 9.4°C | 86 mm | under 1 cm |
| May | 16.9°C | 9.0°C | 13.0°C | 59 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 19.6°C | 11.9°C | 15.8°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22.4°C | 13.9°C | 18.2°C | 34 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.4°C | 14.0°C | 18.2°C | 36 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.1°C | 11.2°C | 15.2°C | 52 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13.5°C | 7.0°C | 10.3°C | 124 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 9.3°C | 3.6°C | 6.4°C | 175 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 6.6°C | 1.2°C | 3.9°C | 172 mm | 14 cm |
| Year | 14.0°C | 7.0°C | 10.5°C | 1,160 mm | 37 cm |
The most changeable month: January, give or take 1.7°C; the steadiest, August
Each bar spans a month’s coldest and warmest readings over thirty years; December’s run from −15.2°C in 2008 to 14.3°C in 2005.
Where Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Vancouver International (Airport), 1991–2020.
- Comparisons: the 2,500-plus towns and neighbourhoods of Canada, each read from its closest normals location; whole cities and reserves aren’t counted.
- 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 H, Cowichan Valley’s climate
How warm does Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley get in summer?
The year’s warmest days come in July, with highs averaging 22.4°C.
How cold does Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley get in winter?
In December, the coldest month, the typical low is 1.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley get?
Over twelve months, rain and melted snow come to 1,160 mm; the range runs from 34 mm in July to 175 mm in November.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow lies on the ground for about 8 days in a normal year.
Are these figures for Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley itself?
No. The nearest normals are those of Vancouver International (Airport), a long way from Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley →
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).