Photo: Canuckle · CC0Few Canadian towns get fewer frosts than Richmond
Midsummer highs settle at about 22.4°C. The wettest month is November; the driest is July. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 96% of Canadian towns. The outdoor season runs from June to September, with highs of 19–22°C.
Measured at Vancouver International (Airport), 4.8 km north-west: ECCC’s normals for 1991–2020.
A year in Richmond at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Richmond’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Richmond feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
Frost on 40 days, 20°C on 79
Frosts fall from November to March; January has the most, about 10.
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
Some 137 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 37 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from November to March, with about 14 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 Richmond
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days. A house here needs less heating than 97% of Canadian towns.
Living with Richmond’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.
Plan time outside for Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep: highs of 17–27°C and nights no colder than 8°C.
Parks & trails →The humidex tops 30 on about 6 days a year: muggy days to plan around.
The normals describe a typical year, not its worst days; the hazards page covers Richmond’s.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Vancouver International (Airport)
Vancouver International (Airport) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 4.8 km north-west |
| 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), 16 km |
How Richmond 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 Richmond’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 11–19 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Richmond.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C | 1.4°C | 1,160 mm |
| Vancouver 11 km · Vancouver (Harbour) | 23.0°C 0.6°C warmer | 3.3°C 1.9°C milder | 1,537 mm |
| New Westminster 17 km · Pitt Meadows | 25.0°C 2.6°C warmer | 0.5°C 0.9°C colder | 1,649 mm |
Richmond 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 | 6.8°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 |
In December, anything from −15.2°C to 14.3°C
Two years in three, January’s average falls within 1.7°C of its normal of 4.1°C; August keeps to within 0.7°C.
Where Richmond’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Vancouver International (Airport), the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- 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 (no 1991–2020 normals exist for it) and any altitude adjustment, since there is no elevation for the town itself.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Richmond’s climate
How warm does Richmond get in summer?
Midsummer means July, with afternoons near 22.4°C on a typical day.
How cold does Richmond get in winter?
On a normal December night the air drops to 1.2°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Richmond get?
A normal year brings 1,160 mm, snow included as water: November is wettest at 175 mm, July driest at 34 mm.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
In a normal winter there are about 8 days with at least 1 cm of snow lying.
Are these figures for Richmond itself?
Yes: they are ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Vancouver International (Airport), a location inside Richmond.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Richmond →
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).