Photo: James Blake aka Webgeer at en.wikipedia · CC BY 2.0Powell River has some of the mildest winter nights among Canadian towns
July afternoons average 23.1°C. Winter and summer sit 22°C apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 88% of Canadian towns. Wet days, with 1 mm of rain or snow or more, come about 131 times a year.
These are not Powell River’s own readings: ECCC keeps no normals there, so the page uses Comox, 30 km south-west.
A year in Powell River at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Powell River’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Powell River 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
Frosts fall from November to March; December has the most, about 11.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 1,152 mm of rain and snow a year
The most falls in December, the least in July.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 51 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from November to March, with about 17 cm in December, the snowiest month.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Powell River
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
The count adds up, day by day, how far the mean temperature falls short of 18°C. A house here needs less heating than 94% of Canadian towns.
Living with Powell River’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
The frost-free stretch runs from about 1 April to about 6 November, some 218 days in a normal year.
The outdoor season by the averages is May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →A humidex above 30 marks about 8 days in a normal year.
Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on Powell River’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Comox
Every temperature, frost, snow and degree-day figure on this page is the 1991–2020 normal ECCC publishes for Comox.
| Distance from the town | 30 km south-west |
| 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 | Campbell River, 55 km |
How Powell River 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
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Powell River’s would only repeat its figures. Distances here run 39–58 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Powell River.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powell River Comox | 23.1°C | 1.5°C | 1,152 mm |
| Electoral Area B, Strathcona 39 km · Campbell River | 23.5°C about the same | −0.5°C 2.0°C colder | 1,482 mm |
| Welcome Beach 58 km · Vancouver (Harbour) | 23.0°C about the same | 3.3°C 1.8°C milder | 1,537 mm |
Powell River 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 | 6.3°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: 3.5°C at its coldest, 33.8°C at its warmest
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 Powell River’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Comox, the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Comparisons: Canada’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (no city totals, no reserves), each through its own nearest location.
- 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 Powell River’s climate
How warm does Powell River get in summer?
Peak warmth comes in July, at about 23.1°C by mid-afternoon.
How cold does Powell River get in winter?
The year’s coldest nights belong to February, at about 1.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Powell River get?
December is the wettest month at 194 mm and July the driest at 24 mm, for 1,152 mm over the year.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
In a normal winter there are about 10 days with at least 1 cm of snow lying.
Are these figures for Powell River itself?
Not exactly. Powell River lacks a normals station, so Comox supplies the figures.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Powell River →
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).