Nanaimo weather in November

In November, Nanaimo sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 264 mm of precipitation across 18.7 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in November, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of November to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Nanaimo's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanaimo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
8th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Precipitation
264 mm
18.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:35 AM – 4:27 PM
Cloud cover
74%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
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 November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical November day in Nanaimo reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs about 4°C cooler than October and about 2°C warmer than December.

10°15°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
197
297
397
497
596
696
796
896
986
1086
1186
1286
1386
1486
1585
1685
1785
1875
1975
2075
2175
2275
2374
2474
2574
2674
2764
2864
2964
3064

How November really feels in Nanaimo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, November averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

November 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 November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 8th-warmest and 1st-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33268
43268
53268
63070
73070
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
132971
142971
152872
162872
172971
182971
192971
202971
212971
222971
232971
243070
252971
262971
272971
282971
292872
302872

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitationSnow

Nanaimo gets around 264 mm of rain and snow over 18.7 wet days in November, the wettest month. 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 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1564
2575
3585
4586
5596
6607
7617
8618
9629
106310
116311
126311
136412
146413
156314
166315
176316
186317
196317
206318
216319
226219
236219
246120
256120
266020
275920
285920
295820
305720

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November 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%151015202530
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

Wind in November

Winds average 14 km/h in November.

Across November, 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.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light 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
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of November to 8 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 7:11 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:114:47
29.57:134:46
39.57:154:44
49.47:164:43
59.47:184:41
69.37:204:40
79.37:214:38
89.27:234:37
99.27:244:35
109.17:264:34
119.17:284:33
129.07:294:31
139.07:314:30
148.97:324:29
158.97:344:28
168.97:354:27
178.87:374:26
188.87:384:24
198.77:404:23
208.77:414:22
218.67:434:22
228.67:444:21
238.67:464:20
248.57:474:19
258.57:494:18
268.57:504:17
278.47:514:17
288.47:534:16
298.47:544:16
308.37:554:15

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 1.1 kWh/m².

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 — November's 1.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
Planning a trip in November

Hazard calendar for Nanaimo

In seasonPeak

In November, 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 November a good time to visit Nanaimo?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

November is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nanaimo.

What to pack for Nanaimo in November

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

In November, Nanaimo sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°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 November

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in November — 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 November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November 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
November 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).