Nanaimo in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Nanaimo sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 528 mm of precipitation over about 43 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early September to 6°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Nanaimo's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nanaimo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 9°C
- Precipitation
- 528 mm
- 43 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.1
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Nanaimo in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early September to 6°C by late November.
A typical fall day in Nanaimo reaches about 12°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Nanaimo
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
fall sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Nanaimo weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5° / 3° | 253 | 18.5 | 7.1 | 8.5 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 6° / 3° | 149 | 14.6 | 5.9 | 9.8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 7° / 4° | 178 | 17.6 | 6.1 | 11.6 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 10° / 7° | 124 | 15.2 | 1.5 | 13.4 | 2.0 |
| May | 14° / 10° | 85 | 12.1 | 0.1 | 15 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 17° / 13° | 69 | 10.6 | 0 | 15.9 | 5.2 |
| Jul | 19° / 15° | 43 | 7.3 | 0 | 15.6 | 6.8 |
| Aug | 20° / 15° | 54 | 6.3 | 0 | 14.2 | 7.0 |
| Sep | 17° / 13° | 86 | 9.3 | 0 | 12.4 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 12° / 9° | 177 | 15.2 | 0.2 | 10.5 | 2.7 |
| Nov | 8° / 5° | 264 | 18.7 | 4.2 | 8.9 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 5° / 3° | 247 | 18.5 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 0.1 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Nanaimo gets around 528 mm of rain and snow over 43 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 12 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min in early September to 8 h 18 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 2.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Nanaimo
In fall, Nanaimo overlaps 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.
Is fall a good time to visit Nanaimo?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nanaimo.
What to pack for Nanaimo in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Nanaimo sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 9°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 43 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Nanaimo in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 12°C across fall — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 8 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Bracing |
| Feb | 7 | Bracing |
| Mar | 8 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 13 | Bracing |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 17 | Cool |
| Aug | 17 | Cool |
| Sep | 15 | Cool |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 9 | Bracing |
| Dec | 8 | Bracing |
UV index in Nanaimo in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 3. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
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.
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
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.