January in Vancouver — off-season conditions
Hardest · 1.4/10January averages 0°C (31°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
At 294 mm of water-equivalent precipitation this is a snowy month at resort level — that is snowpack, not lost days — with almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 8.4 hours of daylight.
It scores 1.4/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? July scores 8.1 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in Vancouver: expect compromises
Hardest · 2.2/10February averages 0°C (32°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
At 162 mm of water-equivalent precipitation this is a snowy month at resort level — that is snowpack, not lost days — with almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 9.8 hours of daylight.
It scores 2.2/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? July scores 7.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in Vancouver — off-season conditions
Hardest · 3.6/10At 2°C (36°F) this is proper winter weather in March: layer up and split the day between outdoor highlights and indoor stops.
154 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only about 5 days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 3.6/10 on the same scale — 8th of 12 months, versus 9.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Vancouver — 5.9 points higher on the same scale.
April in Vancouver: expect compromises
Hardest · 4.9/10April averages 4°C (40°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 178 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 11 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4.9/10 here, 6th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? July scores 4.6 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
May in Vancouver — reliably good (4th best month)
Good · 7.6/10Expect 10°C (50°F) in May. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
112 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 20 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 7.6/10 on the same scale — 4th of 12 months, versus 9.5/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Vancouver — 1.9 points higher on the same scale.
June in Vancouver — reliably good (3rd best month)
Good · 8.4/10June averages 13°C (56°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 97 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 24 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 16 hours of daylight.
It scores 8.4/10 here, 3rd of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
July in Vancouver — the year's strongest window
Best window · 9.5/10July averages 18°C (64°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 39 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 15.6 daylight hours.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Vancouver at 9.5/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Plan for peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
August ranks 2nd of 12 for Vancouver — one of the best windows
Best window · 8.9/10Temperatures hover around 18°C (64°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 66 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 22 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.2 hours of daylight to work around it.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Vancouver at 8.9/10 (2nd of 12), just behind July at 9.5/10.
Expect peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
September in Vancouver: strong conditions, 5th of 12
Good · 7.3/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (56°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 78 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 11 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.3 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 7.3/10 on the same scale — 5th of 12 months, versus 9.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Vancouver — 2.2 points higher on the same scale.
October in Vancouver — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 3.8/10October averages 9°C (48°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
218 mm of rain puts this in monsoon territory — almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine across the whole month, and multi-day washouts are normal.
It scores 3.8/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? July scores 5.7 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
November in Vancouver — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 2/10November averages 1°C (34°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
217 mm of rain puts this in monsoon territory — almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine across the whole month, and multi-day washouts are normal.
It scores 2/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 9.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? July scores 7.5 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in Vancouver: expect compromises
Hardest · 1.4/10At 0°C (32°F) this is proper winter weather in December: layer up and split the day between outdoor highlights and indoor stops.
307 mm of water-equivalent precipitation makes this a snowy month at resort level; what falls stays as snow, with almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 8 hours of daylight.
That is 1.4/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 9.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Vancouver — 8.1 points higher on the same scale.
