Photo: Kevstan · CC BY-SA 3.0Port Alberni has some of the mildest winter nights among Canadian towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 23.1°C. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 88% of Canadian towns. Temperatures cover 22°C across the year, low to high. For walks and days out, the stretch from May to September brings highs of 17–23°C.
Port Alberni has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Comox, 54 km north, so read them as the wider area’s climate.
A year in Port Alberni at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Port Alberni’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Port Alberni feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
46 frost days and 80 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs November to March, peaking in December at about 11 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 1,152 mm a year
December brings the most rain and snow; July, the least. About 131 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 51 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from November to March, most of all in December (about 17 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Port Alberni
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Behind the figure: the degrees each day’s mean falls under 18°C, summed for the year. By this count, homes here need less heating than 94% of Canadian towns.
Living with Port Alberni’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
A normal year gives the garden about 218 frost-free days, roughly 1 April to 6 November.
Mild days and mild nights together (17–27°C by day, 8°C or more at night) belong to May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Count on some 8 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
Severe weather is a separate story from the averages: see Port Alberni’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Comox
Comox is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 54 km north |
| Station altitude | 26 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −10.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.2°C |
| Average wind | 12.5 km/h on average, most often from the south-east |
| Next-nearest location | Cape Beale Light, 59 km |
How Port Alberni 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 Port Alberni whose figures come from another normals location. Port Alberni has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 52–64 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Alberni Comox | 23.1°C | 1.5°C | 1,152 mm |
| Lantzville 52 km · Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C 0.7°C cooler | 1.4°C about the same | 1,160 mm |
| Electoral Area I, Cowichan Valley 61 km · Victoria (Airport) | 22.7°C about the same | 1.6°C about the same | 901 mm |
| Ucluelet 64 km · Cape Beale Light | 16.8°C 6.3°C cooler | 3.6°C 2.1°C milder | 2,777 mm |
Port Alberni 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 | 6.3°C | 1.5°C | 3.9°C | 177 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 7.2°C | 1.2°C | 4.2°C | 112 mm | 9 cm |
| March | 9.5°C | 2.6°C | 6.1°C | 108 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 12.9°C | 5.0°C | 9.0°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 17.2°C | 8.6°C | 12.9°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 19.9°C | 11.5°C | 15.7°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.1°C | 13.7°C | 18.5°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.0°C | 13.5°C | 18.3°C | 31 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.1°C | 10.5°C | 14.8°C | 47 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12.9°C | 6.3°C | 9.6°C | 125 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 8.7°C | 3.1°C | 5.9°C | 189 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 6.2°C | 1.3°C | 3.7°C | 194 mm | 17 cm |
| Year | 13.8°C | 6.6°C | 10.2°C | 1,152 mm | 51 cm |
June has run from 3.5°C to 33.8°C in thirty years
From one year to the next, February’s average typically shifts by 1.5°C around its normal of 4.2°C, the widest of any month, while October’s shifts by 0.8°C.
Where Port Alberni’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Comox, 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- 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, 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 Port Alberni’s climate
How warm does Port Alberni get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.1°C.
How cold does Port Alberni get in winter?
A typical February night falls to 1.2°C, the year’s low point.
How much rain and snow does Port Alberni get?
The yearly total is about 1,152 mm. December gets 194 mm, the most of any month; July gets 24 mm, the least.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 10 days a year count as snow-covered, with 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for Port Alberni itself?
No. The nearest normals are those of Comox, a long way from Port Alberni.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Port Alberni →
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).