Ottawa is 2.8°C (5°F) warmer by day, Vancouver has 6.7°C (12.1°F) warmer nights, Vancouver gets 1,187 mm (46.7 in) more rain a year.
Ottawa is at its warmest in July and coolest in January, while Vancouver peaks in August and bottoms out in December. Month for month, Ottawa is the warmer of the two in 8 of 12 months.
Vancouver is the wetter of the two, collecting 2,153 mm (84.8 in) of rain a year against 966 mm (38 in) in Ottawa. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Ottawa and June, July and August in Vancouver.
| Ottawa | Metric | Vancouver |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 19.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 16.3°C |
| -9.1°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | -2.4°C |
| July | 🔥Hottest month | August |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | December |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 966 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 2,153 mm |
| June | ☔Wettest month | November |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | July |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 84% | 💧Average humidity | 85% |
| 0.6 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 0.8 m/s |
Overnight, Ottawa typically falls to around -9.1°C (15.6°F) while Vancouver settles near -2.4°C (27.7°F).
Ottawa is hottest in July and coldest in January, whereas Vancouver peaks in August and is coolest in December.
Ottawa sees the most rain in June and the least in February; Vancouver is wettest in November and driest in July.
Vancouver feels the more humid of the two, averaging 85% relative humidity against 84%.
For Vancouver, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Ottawa | Vancouver | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -32.5 | -15❄️ | 2.6 | -12.8 | -4❄️ | 4.8 |
| February | -29.8 | -13.5 | 2.9 | -11.9 | -3.2 | 5.5 |
| March | -23.2 | -5.1 | 12.9 | -7.7 | 0.5 | 8.7 |
| April | -7.6 | 7 | 21.6 | -3.4 | 5.8 | 15.1 |
| May | -1.2 | 12.9 | 26.9 | 1.3 | 11.6 | 21.9 |
| June | 5.5 | 17.6 | 29.7 | 5.5 | 15.6 | 25.6 |
| July | 9.6 | 20.2🔥 | 30.9 | 8.4 | 18.2 | 27.9 |
| August | 8.2 | 19.4 | 30.6 | 8.6 | 18.3🔥 | 28.1 |
| September | 2.5 | 15.3 | 28 | 4.8 | 14.9 | 25 |
| October | -3.9 | 9.4 | 22.6 | -1 | 8.6 | 18.2 |
| November | -11.2 | 1.9 | 14.9 | -8.4 | 0.7 | 9.8 |
| December | -25.8 | -9.9 | 6 | -12.8 | -3.9 | 5 |
| Annual Avg | -9.1 | 5 | 19.1 | -2.5 | 6.9 | 16.3 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Ottawa and Vancouver feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Ottawa Vancouver
See how Ottawa and Vancouver stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Ottawa and Vancouver — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Ottawa is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 19.1°C (66.4°F) against 16.3°C (61.3°F) in Vancouver — roughly 2.8°C (5°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Vancouver, with average lows of -2.4°C (27.7°F) versus -9.1°C (15.6°F).
Ottawa is hottest in July, averaging highs of about 30.9°C (87.6°F), while Vancouver peaks in August at around 28.1°C (82.5°F). That makes Ottawa the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Ottawa gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -32.5°C (-26.5°F), compared with -12.8°C (8.9°F) at the low point of the year in Vancouver.
Vancouver is the wetter city, collecting about 2,153 mm (84.8 in) of rain a year versus 966 mm (38 in) in Ottawa. Ottawa is wettest in June and driest in February; Vancouver is wettest in November and driest in July.
Humidity is similar in both, averaging around 84% in Ottawa and 85% in Vancouver across the year.
The most comfortable months in Ottawa are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Vancouver is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Ottawa is the warmer city in 8 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in January, about 11°C (19.8°F), and narrowest in September, about 0.4°C (0.7°F).
Ottawa has the bigger seasonal swing, about 35.2°C (63.4°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 22.3°C (40.1°F) in Vancouver — so Vancouver has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Ottawa comes out ahead — it offers warmer days and less rain than Vancouver. Vancouver is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather and more rainfall.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Ottawa and Vancouver, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
