Photo: Buiobuione · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any Canadian towns collect more precipitation than Tofino: 3,111 mm a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about 3.6°C. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every Canadian town. November is the wettest month here, with about 6.1 times the rain and snow of July. The furnace earns its keep from November to April, the months that average under 10°C.
Every figure here comes from Estevan Point, 53 km north-west; ECCC has no normals closer to Tofino, so they describe the wider area.
A year in Tofino at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Tofino’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Tofino feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
Frost on 21 days, 20°C on 7
Frost comes from November to March, most of all in January (about 6 nights).
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 3,111 mm of rain and snow a year
The wettest of 255 towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia. On about 188 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 14 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from November to March, with about 4 cm in February, the snowiest month. 252nd snowiest of 252 towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Heating a home in Tofino
77% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
A heating degree day is one degree of shortfall below 18°C for one day, summed over the year. That means homes here need less heating than 94% of Canadian towns.
Living with Tofino’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; Tofino’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Estevan Point
Estevan Point is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 53 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 6 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −6.5°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 27.5°C |
| Average wind | 18.3 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Cape Beale Light, 64 km |
How Tofino 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 Tofino’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 22–79 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Tofino.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tofino Estevan Point | 17.4°C | 3.6°C | 3,111 mm |
| Electoral Area C, Alberni-Clayoquot 22 km · Cape Beale Light | 16.8°C 0.6°C cooler | 3.6°C about the same | 2,777 mm |
| Electoral Area D, Alberni-Clayoquot 70 km · Comox | 23.1°C 5.7°C warmer | 1.5°C 2.1°C colder | 1,152 mm |
Tofino 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 | 8.2°C | 3.6°C | 5.9°C | 445 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 8.6°C | 3.2°C | 6.0°C | 288 mm | 4 cm |
| March | 9.5°C | 3.7°C | 6.7°C | 299 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 11.4°C | 5.3°C | 8.4°C | 257 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 14.0°C | 8.1°C | 11.1°C | 134 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 15.8°C | 10.3°C | 13.1°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 17.4°C | 11.8°C | 14.6°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 17.8°C | 12.1°C | 15.0°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16.7°C | 10.8°C | 13.7°C | 162 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13.2°C | 7.9°C | 10.6°C | 335 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 10.2°C | 5.0°C | 7.6°C | 454 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 8.2°C | 3.4°C | 5.9°C | 431 mm | 2 cm |
| Year | 12.6°C | 7.1°C | 9.9°C | 3,111 mm | 14 cm |
Two years in three, January’s average lands within 1.2°C of normal, against the steadier June
Over 1991–2020, November saw both −6.5°C (2010) and 22.0°C (2020), the widest span of any month.
Where Tofino’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at Estevan Point (the closest location with all twelve months of temperatures).
- Comparisons: every place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
- Not on this page: a sunshine figure (ECCC published none for 1991–2020) and any lapse-rate correction for height, as the town has no elevation here.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Tofino’s climate
How warm does Tofino get in summer?
Midsummer means August, with afternoons near 17.8°C on a typical day.
How cold does Tofino get in winter?
The coldest nights come in February, averaging 3.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Tofino get?
Rain and snow, with snow counted as water, total 3,111 mm a year; November leads with 454 mm and July trails with 74 mm.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
In a normal winter there are about 2 days with at least 1 cm of snow lying.
Are these figures for Tofino itself?
Not really: Estevan Point, the closest location with normals, lies well away from Tofino.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Tofino →
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).