Nanaimo weather in December

In December, Nanaimo sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 247 mm of precipitation across 18.5 wet days and about 8.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 5°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 18 min at the start of December to 8 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nanaimo's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanaimo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
247 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
8:12 AM – 4:12 PM
Cloud cover
77%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Nanaimo is city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
991/km²
people per km²
Founded
1874

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 5°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nanaimo reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
164
264
364
464
564
664
764
863
963
1063
1163
1263
1363
1453
1553
1653
1753
1853
1953
2053
2153
2253
2353
2453
2553
2653
2753
2853
2953
3053
3153

How December really feels in Nanaimo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
24
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Nanaimo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 25318.57.18.50.1
Feb / 14914.65.99.80.4
Mar / 17817.66.111.60.9
Apr10° / 12415.21.513.42.0
May14° / 10°8512.10.1153.9
Jun17° / 13°6910.6015.95.2
Jul19° / 15°437.3015.66.8
Aug20° / 15°546.3014.27.0
Sep17° / 13°869.3012.45.5
Oct12° / 17715.20.210.52.7
Nov / 26418.74.28.91.0
Dec / 24718.58.38.10.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32773
42773
52674
62674
72575
82575
92476
102377
112278
122179
132080
142080
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
201882
211981
221981
232080
242080
252179
262278
272377
282377
292377
302377
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Nanaimo gets around 247 mm of rain and snow over 18.5 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 61% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15721
25721
35721
45622
55722
65723
75723
85724
95825
105926
116026
126127
136228
146229
156329
166330
176430
186430
196430
206331
216330
226330
236330
246329
256229
266229
276228
286228
296228
306228
316328

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 18 min at the start of December to 8 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:57 AM to 8:18 AM, and sunset from 4:14 PM to 4:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.37:574:14
28.37:584:14
38.27:594:14
48.28:004:13
58.28:014:13
68.28:024:13
78.18:034:12
88.18:054:12
98.18:064:12
108.18:074:12
118.18:074:12
128.18:084:12
138.08:094:12
148.08:104:12
158.08:114:12
168.08:124:12
178.08:124:12
188.08:134:13
198.08:144:13
208.08:144:13
218.08:154:14
228.08:154:14
238.08:164:15
248.08:164:15
258.08:164:16
268.08:174:17
278.08:174:17
288.08:174:18
298.08:174:19
308.08:184:19
318.08:184:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.78 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.54 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.78 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nanaimo

In seasonPeak

In December, Nanaimo sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Nanaimo's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Nanaimo?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nanaimo.

What to pack for Nanaimo in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Nanaimo sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Nanaimo in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in January near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Nanaimo in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nanaimo peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Nanaimo?

Nanaimo sits at 49.2°N, 123.9°W, 16 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Harewood, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Nanaimo

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Nanaimo.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nanaimo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 238 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,013 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,048 m.

The land around Nanaimo is covered by trees (35%), water (33%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
238 m
16 km
1,013 m
80 km
2,048 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Harewood 2.0 km · North Cowichan 41 km · Duncan 46 km · University Endowment Lands 52 km · Seafair 55 km · Dunbar-Southlands 55 km · Steveston 55 km · Arbutus Ridge 57 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Nanaimo (49.1664°, -123.94°, elevation 16 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).