Photo: Ken Walker · CC BY-SA 2.5Few Canadian towns have milder winter nights than Qualicum Beach
Sunny July days climb to about 23.1°C. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 88% of Canadian towns. Precipitation peaks in December and eases off in July. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 10°C.
The nearest ECCC normals location is Comox, 53 km north-west: at that distance its figures describe the region more than Qualicum Beach itself.
A year in Qualicum Beach at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Qualicum Beach’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Qualicum Beach feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
About 46 frosts and 80 warm days 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
About 1,152 mm of rain and snow a year
Some 131 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 51 cm of snow a 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 Qualicum Beach
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Heating degree days total each day’s gap between its mean temperature and 18°C. In heating terms, homes need less heating than 94% of Canadian towns.
Living with Qualicum Beach’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
Frost usually lets go around 1 April and returns near 6 November, about 218 days apart.
For long days outdoors, May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →The humidex tops 30 on about 8 days a year: muggy days to plan around.
Ice storms, floods and heat waves are risks, not averages: they are on Qualicum Beach’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 | 53 km north-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 | Cape Beale Light, 85 km |
How Qualicum Beach 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
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Qualicum Beach’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 27–50 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Qualicum Beach.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualicum Beach Comox | 23.1°C | 1.5°C | 1,152 mm |
| Lantzville 27 km · Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C 0.7°C cooler | 1.4°C about the same | 1,160 mm |
| Welcome Beach 41 km · Vancouver (Harbour) | 23.0°C about the same | 3.3°C 1.8°C milder | 1,537 mm |
Qualicum Beach weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and 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 |
In June, anything from 3.5°C to 33.8°C
February is the least predictable month: about two years in three its average lands within 1.5°C of the normal, 4.2°C. October is the steadiest, within 0.8°C.
Where Qualicum Beach’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals for Comox, the nearest location with a full year of temperatures.
- Comparisons: Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500, each placed by its nearest location (city totals and reserves excluded).
- 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 Qualicum Beach’s climate
How warm does Qualicum Beach get in summer?
Of all twelve months, July has the warmest afternoons, about 23.1°C.
How cold does Qualicum Beach get in winter?
Of all twelve months, February has the coldest nights, about 1.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Qualicum Beach get?
Precipitation totals 1,152 mm a year, with December the wettest month (194 mm) and July the driest (24 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
On about 10 days a year the ground keeps at least 1 cm of snow.
Are these figures for Qualicum Beach itself?
No. The nearest normals are those of Comox, a long way from Qualicum Beach.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Qualicum Beach →
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).