Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Vancouver’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Vancouver at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vancouver’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vancouver’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Vancouver feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 223 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Vancouver Pearson Airport, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vancouver’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 18°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Portland International Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 157 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vancouver
92% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Vancouver Pearson Airport.
Living with Vancouver’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
223 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 53 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vancouver from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vancouver and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Vancouver in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Vancouver’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver, WA | 36° | 81° | 47" | 4.2" |
| Ben Lomond, CA | 40° | 79° | 43" | 0.0" |
| Brigantine, NJ | 28° | 83° | 45" | 10" |
| Swannanoa, NC | 27° | 83° | 48" | 2.1" |
| Sutherlin, OR | 36° | 85° | 41" | 0.6" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Vancouver averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 55% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 200,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Vancouver compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vancouver’s place among Washington’s.
Vancouver weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vancouver’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Portland International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 6.4" | 1.7" | 19 | 1 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 51° | 36° | 4.7" | 1.2" | 16 | 1 | 37° – 49° |
| March | 56° | 38° | 5.1" | 0.1" | 18 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 42° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| June | 73° | 52° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 56° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| August | 81° | 56° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 66° |
| October | 63° | 45° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 53° | 39° | 6.7" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 35° | 7.2" | 1.2" | 19 | 1 | 36° – 43° |
| Year | 63° | 44° | 46.5" | 4.2" | 157 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 49°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Vancouver’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Vancouver’s center.
- Snow: Portland International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Vancouver Pearson Airport, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 180 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Vancouver’s climate
What is the weather like in Vancouver?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vancouver in winter?
December nights average 35°. About 45 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Vancouver get?
About 4.2 inches in a normal winter at Portland International Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vancouver?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 56°. About 15 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Vancouver Pearson Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Vancouver?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 9, about 223 frost-free days, at Vancouver Pearson Airport.
What growing zone is Vancouver in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vancouver?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Vancouver getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vancouver.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.