Vancouver November — rainy winter streets with mountain silhouettes in cloud

Vancouver · Canada

November

Vancouver's darkest month — relentless rain and 2.5 sunshine hours. Whistler is the saving grace.

Avoid

#12 of 12 months

There are better months for Vancouver — see the full ranking below.

See when to go instead →

Climate

High

9.2°C

Low

3.9°C

Rain

177mm

Sun

2.5hrs/day

30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5

How November scores in Vancouver

Weather
Low
Value
Outstanding
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Average
Atmosphere
Above average

What you gain in November

  • November is when Whistler's ski season opens — typically mid-November for upper mountain, full resort by late November in good snow years. The Whistler Blackcomb opening is a genuine event for the Pacific Northwest ski community, and early-season passes and accommodation deals (including lift-and-stay packages) make late November one of the most economical ski trips in western Canada.
  • Hotel prices in Vancouver city reach their annual floor in November — properties that cost CAD $350 in July are available for $130–160, and Airbnbs in popular neighbourhoods are consistently available with zero advance notice. The restaurant scene is fully operational and accessible.
  • The winter holiday season prep begins in late November — the Vancouver Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza (resembling a German Weihnachtsmarkt with mulled wine and crafts) opens before December, and the Lights of Hope display at St. Paul's Hospital is the city's most generous community tradition.

What you sacrifice

  • November is statistically Vancouver's second-rainiest month (177mm) and has only 2.5 sunshine hours daily — effectively indistinguishable from a permanently overcast sky. The Pacific fronts arrive in succession with limited breaks, and the combination of short days (sunset by 4:30pm) and continuous rain makes outdoor exploration genuinely miserable without the ski season alternative.
  • The North Shore mountain hiking trails are closed or hazardous due to early snowfall, and the seawall loses its recreational character in sustained rain. Vancouver in November without a Whistler ski strategy is a difficult proposition.

How November compares to September (best month)

FactorNovemberSeptember
Weather
2
8
Value
9
6
Crowds
9
6

November in other destinations

Lisbon (16.8°C)Barcelona (16.5°C)Tokyo (16.6°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (17.5°C)Paris (10.5°C)New York (11°C)Marrakech (21.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (15.5°C)Bangkok (30.2°C)Istanbul (13.8°C)Vienna (7.8°C)Seoul (10.4°C)Dubrovnik (15.4°C)Rio de Janeiro (28.8°C)Kyoto (16.9°C)Phuket (31.7°C)Cape Town (23.7°C)Prague (7°C)Amalfi Coast (16°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (29°C)London (11°C)Sydney (24°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (27°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (27.2°C)Florence (13.6°C)Queenstown (18.5°C)Madrid (13°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (8°C)Budapest (9°C)Kraków (6°C)Tbilisi (11°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (25°C)Osaka (16°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (21°C)Buenos Aires (26°C)Mykonos (17°C)Zanzibar (30°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (18°C)Seville (18°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (27°C)Split (15°C)Taipei (23°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (20°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (28°C)Cappadocia (12°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (26°C)Seychelles (29°C)Nepal (21°C)Jordan (19°C)Azores (19°C)Bora Bora (29°C)Los Angeles (22.1°C)Cairo (25.3°C)Kenya (25.8°C)Jaipur (27.8°C)Las Vegas (20.5°C)San Francisco (16.5°C)Madeira (21.5°C)Muscat (31.2°C)Lima (21.5°C)Cinque Terre (15°C)Kotor (15°C)Tel Aviv (22°C)Santiago (26°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (9.4°C)Penang (30.8°C)Lombok (31.2°C)Cape Verde (27.5°C)Fez (19.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (23°C)Oslo (5°C)Auckland (20°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Vancouver, not across destinations. Methodology →