Tofino in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Tofino sees average daytime highs around 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 1187 mm of precipitation over about 57 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 7°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Tofino's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Tofino's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 7°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 1187 mm
- 57 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.6
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Tofino in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 7°C.
A typical winter day in Tofino reaches about 7°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Tofino weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | 7° / 4° | 461 | 20.6 | 5.5 | 8.5 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 7° / 4° | 279 | 16.2 | 5.6 | 9.8 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 7° / 4° | 350 | 19.4 | 6.5 | 11.6 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 9° / 6° | 227 | 15.6 | 2 | 13.4 | 1.6 |
| May | 12° / 8° | 117 | 10.9 | 0.1 | 15 | 2.9 |
| Jun | 13° / 10° | 102 | 10.5 | 0 | 15.9 | 3.8 |
| Jul | 16° / 12° | 64 | 6 | 0 | 15.6 | 5.4 |
| Aug | 16° / 13° | 88 | 7.4 | 0 | 14.2 | 5.4 |
| Sep | 15° / 12° | 170 | 10.4 | 0 | 12.4 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 12° / 9° | 369 | 17.9 | 0 | 10.5 | 2.5 |
| Nov | 9° / 6° | 512 | 20.2 | 2.4 | 8.9 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 7° / 5° | 447 | 20.6 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 0.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Tofino gets around 1187 mm of rain and snow over 57 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 15 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.2 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Tofino
In winter, Tofino overlaps 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Tofino?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tofino.
What to pack for Tofino in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, 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 57 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Tofino in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 9°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Bracing |
| Feb | 9 | Bracing |
| Mar | 9 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 13 | Bracing |
| Jul | 14 | Bracing |
| Aug | 14 | Bracing |
| Sep | 13 | Bracing |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 10 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index in Tofino in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 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 | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Tofino in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Good |
| Feb | 3 | Good |
| Mar | 5 | Good |
| Apr | 6 | Good |
| May | 7 | Good |
| Jun | 6 | Good |
| Jul | 6 | Good |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 8 | Good |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 5 | Good |
| Dec | 2 | Good |
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.
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 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.