Photo: K29328 · CC BY-SA 4.0Creston sits near the top of Canadian towns for July heat
January nights here settle around −4.0°C. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 93% of Canadian towns. Temperatures cover 33°C across the year, low to high. Ice scrapers and block heaters earn their keep on roughly 118 days a year at 0°C or below.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, measured at Creston, 0.9 km west.
A year in Creston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Creston’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Creston feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 118 frosts and 116 warm days a year
Frost comes from October to April, most of all in December (about 27 nights). Heat of 30°C or more comes on about 28 days a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 689 mm of rain and snow a year
November brings the most rain and snow; August, the least. On about 126 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 151 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs October to April; December brings the most, about 47 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Creston
90% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 18°C over a year. By this count, homes here need less heating than 88% of Canadian towns.
Living with Creston’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
The growing season between frosts lasts about 179 days, roughly 22 April to 18 October.
The outdoor season by the averages is Jun and Sep, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →The wind chill passes −20 on about 4 days in a normal year.
Muggy heat with a humidex over 30 arrives on about 41 days a year.
For the weather that does damage, from ice storms to floods, see Creston’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Creston
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Creston are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 0.9 km west |
| Station altitude | 610 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −23.7°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 38.7°C |
| Average wind | 6.6 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Nelson, 73 km |
How Creston 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 Creston’s own would show the same figures). Creston has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 57–71 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creston | 28.6°C | −4.0°C | 689 mm |
| Salmo 57 km · Nelson | 28.5°C about the same | −2.9°C 1.1°C milder | 759 mm |
| Electoral Area C, East Kootenay 69 km · Cranbrook | 26.9°C 1.7°C cooler | −10.1°C 6.1°C colder | 386 mm |
Creston 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 | 1.3°C | −4.0°C | −1.4°C | 76 mm | 45 cm |
| February | 3.5°C | −3.5°C | 0.1°C | 48 mm | 21 cm |
| March | 8.6°C | −0.4°C | 4.1°C | 65 mm | 12 cm |
| April | 14.1°C | 3.0°C | 8.6°C | 47 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 20.0°C | 7.3°C | 13.6°C | 63 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 22.8°C | 10.6°C | 16.7°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28.6°C | 14.0°C | 21.3°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28.1°C | 13.6°C | 20.9°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21.7°C | 9.0°C | 15.4°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12.9°C | 3.4°C | 8.1°C | 54 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 5.1°C | −0.6°C | 2.2°C | 84 mm | 23 cm |
| December | 0.6°C | −4.1°C | −1.8°C | 81 mm | 47 cm |
| Year | 13.9°C | 4.0°C | 9.0°C | 689 mm | 151 cm |
A February here can run warm or cold, its average moving by about 2.0°C; the steadiest month is June
March has the widest record range, −15.9°C in 2019 to 23.4°C in 2004; the tick on each bar is the month’s normal.
Where Creston’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at Creston (the closest location with all twelve months of temperatures).
- Comparisons: every place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
- Not on this page: sunshine, absent from every 1991–2020 location, and an altitude correction, for want of the town’s own elevation.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Creston’s climate
How warm does Creston get in summer?
On a normal day in July the thermometer climbs to 28.6°C, the warmest of the year.
How cold does Creston get in winter?
Winter bottoms out in December, with lows near −4.1°C.
How much rain and snow does Creston get?
A normal year brings 689 mm, snow included as water: November is wettest at 84 mm, August driest at 24 mm.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow covers the ground, 1 cm or more, on about 71 days a year.
Are these figures for Creston itself?
Yes. They were measured in Creston, at ECCC’s own station there.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Creston →
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).