Few Canadian towns get fewer frosts than Electoral Area C, Nanaimo
Expect July afternoons of about 22.4°C. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 96% of Canadian towns. Seasons differ by 21°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 10°C.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Electoral Area C, Nanaimo come from Vancouver International (Airport), 62 km east, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Electoral Area C, Nanaimo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’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 C, Nanaimo feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 40 frosts and 79 warm days a year
The frost season runs November to March, 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 1,160 mm a year
On about 137 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 37 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs November to March; December brings the most, about 14 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Electoral Area C, Nanaimo
87% 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. Over a year, a home here needs less heating than 97% of Canadian towns.
Living with Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
About 235 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 19 March to a first of 10 November.
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 →Count on some 6 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
Severe weather is a separate story from the averages: see Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Vancouver International (Airport)
ECCC builds the Vancouver International (Airport) normals from 2 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 62 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 | Vancouver (Harbour), 67 km |
How Electoral Area C, Nanaimo 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 Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’s own would show the same figures). No closer places have figures: these lie 15–30 km from Electoral Area C, Nanaimo.
Electoral Area C, Nanaimo 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 | 6.8°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 |
December: −15.2°C at its coldest, 14.3°C at its warmest
The month to count on least is January: one year in three its average strays more than 1.7°C from 4.1°C. August moves least, typically by 0.7°C.
Where Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Vancouver International (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: 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 Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’s climate
How warm does Electoral Area C, Nanaimo get in summer?
Expect highs near 22.4°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does Electoral Area C, Nanaimo get in winter?
The coldest nights come in December, averaging 1.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Electoral Area C, Nanaimo get?
The year adds up to 1,160 mm. November is the peak month (175 mm) and July the low one (34 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 8 days a year have 1 cm of snow or more on the ground.
Are these figures for Electoral Area C, Nanaimo itself?
They are the figures for Vancouver International (Airport), which read better as the region’s climate than Electoral Area C, Nanaimo’s own.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Electoral Area C, Nanaimo →
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).