Tofino weather in December

In December, Tofino sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 447 mm of precipitation across 20.6 wet days and about 8.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 Tofino's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tofino's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
447 mm
20.6 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
8:19 AM – 4:20 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Tofino is district municipality on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Founded
1932

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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Tofino reaches about 7°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 4°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
185
285
375
475
575
675
775
875
975
1075
1175
1275
1375
1475
1575
1675
1775
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2374
2474
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

Tofino weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 46120.65.58.50.6
Feb / 27916.25.69.80.7
Mar / 35019.46.511.60.8
Apr / 22715.6213.41.6
May12° / 11710.90.1152.9
Jun13° / 10°10210.5015.93.8
Jul16° / 12°646015.65.4
Aug16° / 13°887.4014.25.4
Sep15° / 12°17010.4012.44.5
Oct12° / 36917.9010.52.5
Nov / 51220.22.48.91.3
Dec / 44720.66.38.10.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22773
32773
42773
52773
62674
72575
82476
92476
102377
112278
122179
132080
142080
151981
161981
172080
182179
192080
202080
212080
222179
232179
242179
252278
262278
272278
282377
292377
302377
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Tofino gets around 447 mm of rain and snow over 20.6 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 67% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16315
26315
36315
46315
56316
66316
76417
86417
96518
106619
116720
126820
136921
147022
157123
167123
177224
187224
197225
207225
217124
227024
237023
246923
256822
266721
276721
286620
296620
306619
316619

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 16 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 8:04 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 4:22 PM to 4:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.38:044:22
28.38:064:22
38.28:074:22
48.28:084:21
58.28:094:21
68.28:104:21
78.18:114:20
88.18:124:20
98.18:134:20
108.18:144:20
118.18:154:20
128.18:164:20
138.08:174:20
148.08:184:20
158.08:194:20
168.08:194:20
178.08:204:20
188.08:214:21
198.08:214:21
208.08:224:21
218.08:224:22
228.08:234:22
238.08:234:23
248.08:244:23
258.08:244:24
268.08:254:24
278.08:254:25
288.08:254:26
298.08:254:27
308.08:254:27
318.08:254:28

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.76 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Tofino

In seasonPeak

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

Tofino's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Tofino?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tofino.

What to pack for Tofino in December

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

In December, Tofino sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Tofino in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 9°C.

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

8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Tofino 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 Tofino peaks around July 18 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 18UV 8Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Tofino in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Tofino is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 8.3× the cleanest month (December, 2 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1716 µg/m³Dec 222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan3Good
Feb3Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May7Good
Jun6Good
Jul6Good
Aug17Moderate
Sep8Good
Oct7Good
Nov5Good
Dec2Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tofino?

Tofino sits at 49.2°N, 125.9°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Port Alberni, 81 km away.

Topography around Tofino

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tofino has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 152 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 986 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,048 m.

The land around Tofino is covered by water (68%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, water (64%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
152 m
16 km
986 m
80 km
2,048 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Port Alberni 81 km · Courtenay 89 km · Campbell River 107 km · Harewood 143 km · Nanaimo 143 km · North Cowichan 166 km · Duncan 166 km · Sooke 182 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 Tofino (49.1531°, -125.9074°, elevation 0 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).