Tofino weather in January

In January, Tofino sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 461 mm of precipitation across 20.6 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 16% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tofino's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tofino's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
461 mm
20.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:20 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.93 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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tofino reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°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, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
174
274
374
474
574
674
774
874
974
1074
1174
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1775
1875
1975
2075
2175
2275
2375
2475
2575
2675
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

Tofino weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42278
52278
62278
72278
82278
92278
102278
112179
122179
132179
142179
152179
162179
172377
182377
192377
202377
212278
222278
232278
242377
252377
262377
272377
282476
292476
302575
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Tofino gets around 461 mm of rain and snow over 20.6 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 66% and peaks near 67% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16619
26718
36718
46718
56718
66718
76718
86718
96718
106718
116718
126718
136718
146718
156617
166617
176617
186517
196517
206517
216517
226517
236517
246517
256517
266517
276517
286517
296517
306417
316417

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:25 AM to 8:06 AM, and sunset from 4:29 PM to 5:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.18:254:29
28.18:254:29
38.18:254:30
48.18:254:31
58.18:254:32
68.18:254:33
78.28:244:35
88.28:244:36
98.28:244:37
108.28:234:38
118.38:234:39
128.38:224:40
138.38:224:42
148.48:214:43
158.48:214:44
168.48:204:46
178.58:194:47
188.58:194:48
198.58:184:50
208.68:174:51
218.68:164:53
228.68:154:54
238.78:154:56
248.78:144:57
258.88:134:59
268.88:125:00
278.98:105:02
288.98:095:03
298.98:085:05
309.08:075:07
319.08:065:08

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.93 kWh/m².

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 — January's 0.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.2Dim
301.2Dim
311.2Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tofino

In seasonPeak

In January, 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 January a good time to visit Tofino?

Our two travel scores rate January 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

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tofino.

What to pack for Tofino in January

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

In January, Tofino sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 4°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 January

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

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January 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
January 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).