Today's weather for Vancouver, Canada7th Aug 2008 20:00

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Weather Overview for Vancouver

Vancouver has an amazing climate, it is one of the few privileged cities in the world where the weather allows you to swim in summer and ski in winter. British Columbia’s capital city lies upon, the Fraser River, with the Coast Mountains at its rear and the Strait of Georgia at its forefront.

The conditions in Vancouver are dissimilar to the conditions anywhere else in Canada. Vancouver’s weather is unusually temperate for its longitude, particular by Canadian standards. The city sees the 4^th warmest winters of any city in Canada, with the first 3 cities falling on nearby Vancouver Island.

Summers in Vancouver are pleasant, with moderate temperatures which are tempered by sea breezes, clear sunny days and all round enjoyable conditions. The summer months are generally fairly dry, which leads to drought like conditions which can sometimes last for several months.

The average daily temperature is normally about 22 degrees throughout July and August, though the mercury can top 27 degrees on the odd occasion and has actually exceeded 30 degrees on a few occasions over the past summers. Average rain days drops down to 7 to 8 days per month, but even on days of rain the precipitation is often barely measurable.

On the flip side, winter sees Vancouver witness rainfall on more than ½ of the days in the season, with this precipitation being quite significant. This winter rainfall feeds the cities luscious flora so that come spring time the city is awash with greenery and blooming flowers. 

Snow, on average, falls 11 days per year and the mercury falls below 0 degrees on 46 days per year. Twice a year the barometer will see temperatures below – 10, but this is a fairly rare occurrence as the city’s proximity to water means major temperature extremes are often avoided.

January is the coldest month, seeing an average daily minimum of 0 degrees and a daily maximum of 5 degrees. February is not much warmer, with minimum just tickling 0 degrees and normally measuring 1 degrees Celsius and the maximum reaching 7 degrees.

Located a very short drive from the city centre, and accessible by a lift that departs from town, is Grouse Mountain- an inner city ski resort. While Vancouver is nearby to the world famous and extremely popular ski resort of Whistler-Blackcomb, Grouse mountain enables after work skiing and a quick weekend trip up to the slopes! If visiting Grouse Mountain in the afternoon you fill find school kids who have jumped straight off the school bus from their inner city schools and headed straight to the slopes!

Spring and Autumn see mild, enjoyable conditions. Rainfall is at its highest during winter and gradually decreases throughout spring before picking up again toward the end of Autumn. So if visiting during these seasons, May or September will see the most pleasant weather.

All in all Vancouver’s climate has so much to offer and is an ideal destination absolutely any time of the year.

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