Vancouver (BC) Sunshine Hours by Month

To truly understand a climate, we must look at its sunshine. This page shows the total number of hours of direct sunlight per month and the average hours per day in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The numbers reflect climate data gathered over a 30-year period, from 1990 to 2020.

Monthly hours of sunshine

Sunshine in Vancouver varies greatly throughout the year. The sunniest month, July, reaches an impressive 289 hours, while December, the darkest month, offers only 56 hours. The total annual amount of sun is 1932 hours.

Daily hours of sunshine

Seasonal changes in sunshine hours are quite obvious in Vancouver. While July receives considerable daily sunshine with up to 9.6 hours, December marks the darkest time of the year, where sunshine is scarce with only 1.9 hours of sunlight per day.

Average percent of sunshine

On average the sun shines 62% of the time during the day in August, the highest percentage of any month. November has the lowest percentage at 22%.

Vancouver enjoys an average of 1932 hours of sunshine annually. Let’s compare this with some popular tourist destinations:

In Barcelona, Spain, there are 2530 hours of sunshine annually and is a city that can be visited year-round.

In contrast, Tromsø , Norway, receives only about 1270 hours of sunshine per year, known for the polar night with no sunlight for weeks during winter.

Beijing, China, has 2505 hours of sunshine annually, with clear, sunny days in winter.

Adelaide, Australia, enjoys 2770 hours of sunshine annually, with long, sunny summers.

November, Vancouver’s wettest month, receives 72 mm (2.8 in) of rainfall and has a maximum daytime temperature of 9°C (48°F). During the driest month July you can expect a temperature of 22°C (72°F).

For more detailed insights into the city’s temperatures, check out our Temperature page. To explore more about precipitation patterns, visit our Vancouver Precipitation page.