Nanaimo climate — normals and trends
Nanaimo (Canada) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.5 °C and it receives 1,786 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (17.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (3.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Nanaimo averages 16 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 168 rainy days per year.
Nanaimo has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.18 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 23 to 9 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 29.9 °C (on 28 June 2021) and the coldest -13.9 °C (on 14 January 1950).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
NanaimoBritish Columbia
- coords
- 49.17°, -123.94°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.5°C
Average daily high
11.2°C
Average daily low
7.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,786mm
Sunshine / day
8.6h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
17.4km/h
Seasonal range
13.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
16 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
168 d/yr
Annual snowfall
113.2 cm
Average feels-like high
9.3 °C
Average feels-like low
5.0 °C
Average peak gust
30.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
12.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.40 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
29.9 °C
28 June 2021
Coldest day
-13.9 °C
14 January 1950
Wettest day
102 mm
18 January 1968
Windiest day
57.0 km/h
2 April 2010
Strongest gust
113.0 km/h
11 December 2006
Hottest feels-like
33.1 °C
28 June 2021
Coldest feels-like
-21.0 °C
14 January 1950
Snowiest day
35.3 cm
29 December 1996
Sunniest day
15.7 h
10 June 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.7 °C | +1.1 °C | 72 mm | -171 mm |
| Feb | 4.4 °C | -1.1 °C | 164 mm | -14 mm |
| Mar | 7.8 °C | +0.9 °C | 262 mm | +90 mm |
| Apr | 11.2 °C | +1.7 °C | 72 mm | -48 mm |
| May | 14.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 92 mm | +2 mm |
| Jun | 17.0 °C | +0.7 °C | 24 mm | -51 mm |
| Jul | 20.8 °C | +1.7 °C | 10 mm | -38 mm |
| Aug | 20.8 °C | +1.7 °C | 72 mm | +17 mm |
| Sep | 18.3 °C | +2.0 °C | 94 mm | +6 mm |
| Oct | 11.7 °C | +0.1 °C | 207 mm | +9 mm |
| Nov | 8.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 193 mm | -65 mm |
| Dec | 6.9 °C | +1.8 °C | 308 mm | +46 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Nanaimo?
Nanaimo has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.5 °C and it receives 1,786 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Nanaimo?
The hottest day measured in Nanaimo between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 2021, reaching 29.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Nanaimo?
The coldest day measured in Nanaimo between 1940 and 2025 was 14 January 1950, at -13.9 °C.
Does it snow in Nanaimo?
Yes. Nanaimo gets on average 113.2 cm of snow per year and has around 16 frost days.
Has the climate of Nanaimo warmed?
Yes: Nanaimo warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Nanaimo?
The wettest day measured in Nanaimo between 1940 and 2025 was 18 January 1968, with 102 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Nanaimo?
The windiest day measured in Nanaimo between 1940 and 2025 was 2 April 2010, with winds reaching 57.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Nanaimo?
The warmest month in Nanaimo is August (17.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (3.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Nanaimo?
Nanaimo receives on average 1,786 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 168 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Nanaimo?
Nanaimo gets on average 8.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,139 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Nanaimo?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Nanaimo between 1940 and 2025 was 29 December 1996, with 35.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Nanaimo?
Yes: Nanaimo has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Nanaimo?
In Nanaimo, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 33.1 °C on 28 June 2021, and the lowest was -21.0 °C on 14 January 1950.
Compare Nanaimo with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Nanaimo