Nanaimo weather in October

In October, Nanaimo sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 177 mm of precipitation across 15.2 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Nanaimo's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanaimo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
177 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:45 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical October day in Nanaimo reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 5°C cooler than September and about 4°C warmer than November.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11411
21411
31411
41410
51410
61310
71310
81310
91310
101310
11129
12129
13129
14129
15129
16129
17129
18119
19118
20118
21118
22118
23118
24118
25108
26108
27107
28107
29107
30107
31107

How October really feels in Nanaimo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October 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 October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 5th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25149
34951
44852
54753
64555
74357
84258
94159
103961
113862
123763
133763
143664
153664
163664
173664
183565
193466
203466
213466
223565
233565
243565
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Nanaimo gets around 177 mm of rain and snow over 15.2 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 48% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1360
2370
3380
4390
5400
6410
7430
8440
9450
10460
11470
12480
13490
14500
15510
16510
17521
18521
19521
20531
21531
22531
23531
24531
25532
26532
27532
28543
29543
30553
31554

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2964
3973
4973
5973
6982
7982
8982
9982
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in October

Winds average 12 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 102 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:22 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:225:48
211.46:245:45
311.36:255:43
411.26:275:41
511.26:285:39
611.16:305:37
711.16:315:35
811.06:335:32
910.96:345:30
1010.96:365:28
1110.86:385:26
1210.86:395:24
1310.76:415:22
1410.66:425:20
1510.66:445:18
1610.56:455:16
1710.56:475:14
1810.46:495:12
1910.36:505:10
2010.36:525:08
2110.26:545:06
2210.26:555:05
2310.16:575:03
2410.06:585:01
2510.07:004:59
269.97:024:57
279.97:034:56
289.87:054:54
299.87:074:52
309.77:084:50
319.77:104:49

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.19 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 — October's 2.19 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.0Moderate
33.0Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.0Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Nanaimo

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Nanaimo?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nanaimo.

What to pack for Nanaimo in October

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

In October, Nanaimo sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 9°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Nanaimo in October

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks 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.

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
October 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).