Hardly any Canadian towns see softer January nights than Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 22.7°C. Precipitation peaks in January and eases off in July. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 94% of Canadian towns. The outdoor season runs from June to September, with highs of 20–23°C.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley come from Victoria (Airport), 61 km south-east, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Electoral Area I, 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 I, Cowichan Valley 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
The frost season runs November to April, peaking in January at about 10 nights.
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
About 119 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 39 cm in a normal year
From November to March snow is likely; December is the peak, at about 12 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley
84% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
The count adds up, day by day, how far the mean temperature falls short of 18°C. By this count, homes here need less heating than 95% of Canadian towns.
Living with Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
From about 4 April to 4 November the garden is usually clear of frost, some 213 days.
The outdoor season by the averages is Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Humid heat, a humidex over 30, comes on about 6 days a year.
Ice storms, floods and heat waves are risks, not averages: they are on Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →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 town | 61 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 | Cape Beale Light, 76 km |
How Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley 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.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley’s own would show the same figures). The nearest place to Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley with figures is 31 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley Victoria (Airport) | 22.7°C | 1.6°C | 901 mm |
| Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley 31 km · Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,160 mm |
Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley 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 |
The most changeable month: February, give or take 1.5°C; the steadiest, August
Each bar spans a month’s coldest and warmest readings over thirty years; June’s run from 2.1°C in 1991 to 33.5°C in 2003.
Where Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Victoria (Airport), 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- 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: sunshine, which none of ECCC’s 450 locations publishes for 1991–2020, and the town’s own height above sea level, so no figure is adjusted for altitude.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley’s climate
How warm does Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley get in summer?
Of all twelve months, July has the warmest afternoons, about 22.7°C.
How cold does Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley get in winter?
February nights average 1.4°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley get?
Count on roughly 901 mm a year, heaviest in January (155 mm) and lightest in July (20 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow covers the ground, 1 cm or more, on about 8 days a year.
Are these figures for Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley itself?
No: they come from Victoria (Airport), the nearest ECCC normals location, and far enough away to describe the wider area more than Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Electoral Area I, 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).