Few Canadian towns have milder winter nights than Saltspring Island
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 22.7°C. Expect the most rain and snow in January and the least in July. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 94% of Canadian towns. The furnace earns its keep from November to April, the months that average under 10°C.
These are not Saltspring Island’s own readings: ECCC keeps no normals there, so the page uses Victoria (Airport), 24 km south.
A year in Saltspring Island at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Saltspring Island’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Saltspring Island feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
Frost on 45 days, 20°C on 83
Frost comes from November to April, most of all in January (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 901 mm a year
Some 119 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 39 cm of snow a year
From November to March snow is likely; December is the peak, at about 12 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Saltspring Island
84% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
Think of it as a year’s worth of daily shortfalls below 18°C, added up. Homes here need less heating than 95% of Canadian towns.
Living with Saltspring Island’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
About 213 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 4 April to a first of 4 November.
Mild days and mild nights together (17–27°C by day, 8°C or more at night) belong to Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Summer brings about 6 days when the humidex passes 30.
Storms, floods and heat waves sit outside these normals; Saltspring Island’s hazards page covers them.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Victoria (Airport)
ECCC builds the Victoria (Airport) normals from 2 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 24 km south |
| Station altitude | 20 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −10.5°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 36.3°C |
| Average wind | 9.7 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Saturna CAPMON, 29 km |
How Saltspring Island compares
Against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, each read from its own normals location; the dots are the other locations those towns use in British Columbia.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Saltspring Island whose figures come from another normals location. Saltspring Island has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 17–40 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltspring Island Victoria (Airport) | 22.7°C | 1.6°C | 901 mm |
| Southern Gulf Islands 17 km · Saturna CAPMON | 21.6°C 1.1°C cooler | 2.3°C 0.7°C milder | 802 mm |
| Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley 30 km · Vancouver International (Airport) | 22.4°C about the same | 1.4°C about the same | 1,160 mm |
Saltspring Island 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 | 7.5°C | 1.6°C | 4.6°C | 155 mm | 11 cm |
| February | 8.7°C | 1.4°C | 5.0°C | 85 mm | 7 cm |
| March | 10.8°C | 2.7°C | 6.8°C | 80 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 13.7°C | 4.6°C | 9.1°C | 48 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 17.5°C | 7.6°C | 12.6°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 20.2°C | 10.1°C | 15.2°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22.7°C | 11.7°C | 17.2°C | 20 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.6°C | 11.6°C | 17.1°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.7°C | 9.2°C | 14.5°C | 36 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14.3°C | 6.0°C | 10.2°C | 96 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 9.9°C | 3.0°C | 6.5°C | 146 mm | 4 cm |
| December | 7.3°C | 1.5°C | 4.4°C | 146 mm | 12 cm |
| Year | 14.6°C | 5.9°C | 10.3°C | 901 mm | 39 cm |
The most changeable month: February, give or take 1.5°C; the steadiest, August
Each bar spans a month’s coldest and warmest readings over thirty years; June’s run from 2.1°C in 1991 to 33.5°C in 2003.
Where Saltspring Island’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Victoria (Airport), 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- 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 Saltspring Island’s climate
How warm does Saltspring Island get in summer?
Of all twelve months, July has the warmest afternoons, about 22.7°C.
How cold does Saltspring Island get in winter?
Of all twelve months, February has the coldest nights, about 1.4°C.
How much rain and snow does Saltspring Island get?
The yearly total is about 901 mm. January gets 155 mm, the most of any month; July gets 20 mm, the least.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
A layer of at least 1 cm stays down on about 8 days a year.
Are these figures for Saltspring Island itself?
Not quite: they come from Victoria (Airport), the closest ECCC normals location to Saltspring Island.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Saltspring Island →
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).