Located on the Burrard Peninsula, Vancouver lies between Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. The Strait of Georgia, to the west, is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island. The city has an area of 115.18 km² (44.47 sq mi), including both flat and hilly ground and is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8) and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.^[65]

Until the city's naming in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island, and it remains a common misconception that the city is located on the island.^[66]^[67] The island and the city are both named after Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver (as is the city of Vancouver, Washington, in the United States).

Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America, Stanley Park, which covers 404.9 ha (1,001 acres).^[68] The North Shore Mountains dominate the cityscape, and on a clear day, scenic vistas include the snow-capped volcano Mount Baker in the state of Washington to the southeast, Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to the west and southwest, and Bowen Island to the northwest.^[69]

Ecology

The vegetation in the Vancouver area was originally temperate rainforest, consisting of conifers with scattered pockets of maple and alder and large areas of swampland (even in upland areas, due to poor drainage).^[70] The conifers were a typical coastal British Columbia mix of Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock.^[71] The area is thought to have had the largest trees of these species on the British Columbia Coast. Only in Elliott Bay, Seattle, did the size of trees rival those of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The largest trees in Vancouver's old-growth forest were in the Gastown area, where the first logging occurred and on the southern slopes of False Creek and English Bay, especially around Jericho Beach. The forest in Stanley Park was logged between the 1860s and 1880s, and evidence of old-fashioned logging techniques such as springboard notches can still be seen there.^[72]

Many plants and trees growing throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland were imported from other parts of the continent and points across the Pacific. Examples include the monkey puzzle tree, the Japanese maple and various flowering exotics, such as magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons. Some species imported from harsher climates in Eastern Canada or Europe have grown to immense sizes. The native Douglas maple can also attain a tremendous size. Many of the city's streets are lined with flowering varieties of Japanese cherry trees donated from the 1930s onward by the government of Japan. These flower for several weeks in early spring each year, an occasion celebrated by the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. Other streets are lined with flowering chestnut, horse chestnut and other decorative shade trees.^[73]

Climate

Quick Facts Climate chart (explanation), Imperial conversion ...

Vancouver

Climate chart (explanation)

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
168 7 1	105 8 2	114 10 3	89 13 6	65 17 9	54 20 12	36 22 14	37 22 14	51 19 11	121 14 7	189 9 4	162 6 1
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
6.6 44 35	4.1 47 35	4.5 51 38	3.5 56 42	2.6 62 48	2.1 67 53	1.4 72 57	1.4 72 57	2 66 51	4.8 56 45	7.4 49 38	6.4 43 33
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

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Vancouver's climate, one of the mildest and most temperate climates in Canada, is classified as oceanic (Köppen: Cfb) bordering on a warm-summer Mediterranean (Köppen: Csb). While the city has the coolest summer average high of all major Canadian metropolitan areas, winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth-mildest of Canadian cities, after nearby Victoria, Nanaimo and Duncan, all on Vancouver Island.^[74]

Vancouver is one of the wettest Canadian cities. However, precipitation varies throughout the metropolitan area. Annual precipitation as measured at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond averages 1,189 mm (46.8 in), compared with 1,588 mm (62.5 in) in the downtown area and 2,044 mm (80.5 in) in North Vancouver.^[75]^[76] The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, with highs rarely reaching 30 °C (86 °F).^[77] The summer months are typically dry, with only one in five days receiving precipitation during July and August. In contrast, most days from November through March record some precipitation.^[78]

The highest temperature ever recorded at the airport was 34.4 °C (93.9 °F) set on July 30, 2009,^[79] and the highest temperature ever recorded within the city of Vancouver was 35.0 °C (95.0 °F) occurring first on July 31, 1965,^[80] again on August 8, 1981,^[81] and also on May 29, 1983.^[82] The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) on January 14, 1950^[83] and again on December 29, 1968.^[84]

On average, snow falls nine days per year, with three days receiving 5 cm (2.0 in) or more. Average yearly snowfall is 38.1 cm (15.0 in) but typically does not remain on the ground for long.^[77]

Vancouver's growing season averages 237 days, from March 18 until November 10.^[77] Vancouver's 1981–2010 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ranges from 8a to 9a depending on elevation and proximity to water.^[85]

More information Month, Jan ...

Climate data for Richmond (Vancouver International Airport) Climate ID: 1108447; coordinates 49°11′42″N 123°10′55″W; elevation: 4.3 m (14 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1898–present^{[lower-alpha 2]}
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high humidex	17.2	18.0	20.3	24.7	33.7	38.4	38.3	35.9	33.0	27.2	21.1	16.6	38.4
Record high °C (°F)	15.3 (59.5)	18.4 (65.1)	20.0 (68.0)	26.1 (79.0)	30.4 (86.7)	33.3 (91.9)	34.4 (93.9)	33.3 (91.9)	30.0 (86.0)	25.0 (77.0)	23.3 (73.9)	15.0 (59.0)	34.4 (93.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.8 (44.2)	7.9 (46.2)	10.1 (50.2)	13.1 (55.6)	16.9 (62.4)	19.6 (67.3)	22.4 (72.3)	22.4 (72.3)	19.1 (66.4)	13.5 (56.3)	9.3 (48.7)	6.6 (43.9)	14.0 (57.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.1 (39.4)	4.7 (40.5)	6.7 (44.1)	9.4 (48.9)	13.0 (55.4)	15.8 (60.4)	18.2 (64.8)	18.2 (64.8)	15.2 (59.4)	10.3 (50.5)	6.4 (43.5)	3.9 (39.0)	10.5 (50.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.4 (34.5)	1.5 (34.7)	3.3 (37.9)	5.7 (42.3)	9.0 (48.2)	11.9 (53.4)	13.9 (57.0)	14.0 (57.2)	11.2 (52.2)	7.0 (44.6)	3.6 (38.5)	1.2 (34.2)	7.0 (44.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.8 (0.0)	−16.1 (3.0)	−9.4 (15.1)	−3.3 (26.1)	0.6 (33.1)	3.9 (39.0)	6.1 (43.0)	3.9 (39.0)	−1.1 (30.0)	−6.1 (21.0)	−14.3 (6.3)	−17.8 (0.0)	−17.8 (0.0)
Record low wind chill	−22.6	−21.2	−14.5	−5.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	−11.4	−21.3	−27.8	−27.8
Average precipitation mm (inches)	174.0 (6.85)	90.8 (3.57)	106.4 (4.19)	85.5 (3.37)	59.1 (2.33)	51.1 (2.01)	34.1 (1.34)	36.1 (1.42)	51.9 (2.04)	123.9 (4.88)	174.6 (6.87)	172.2 (6.78)	1,159.5 (45.65)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	162.1 (6.38)	84.6 (3.33)	104.1 (4.10)	85.2 (3.35)	59.1 (2.33)	51.1 (2.01)	34.1 (1.34)	36.1 (1.42)	51.9 (2.04)	123.7 (4.87)	171.2 (6.74)	155.8 (6.13)	1,119.2 (44.06)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	12.3 (4.8)	4.5 (1.8)	2.6 (1.0)	0.1 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	3.2 (1.3)	13.9 (5.5)	36.6 (14.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	20.0	15.5	17.6	15.3	12.7	11.6	6.2	6.4	8.6	15.4	19.6	20.5	169.5
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	18.8	14.7	17.3	15.3	12.7	11.6	6.2	6.4	8.6	15.4	19.3	19.7	166.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	2.7	1.2	0.84	0.12	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.04	0.64	1.9	7.4
Average relative humidity (%) (at 15:00 LST)	81.1	74.8	70.1	65.7	63.7	62.0	61.2	62.2	67.9	76.2	80.0	81.9	70.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours	60.2	91.0	134.8	185.0	222.5	226.9	289.8	277.1	212.8	120.7	60.4	56.5	1,937.5
Percent possible sunshine	22.3	31.8	36.6	45.0	46.9	46.8	59.3	62.1	56.1	36.0	21.9	22.0	40.6
Average ultraviolet index	1	1	3	4	6	6	7	6	4	2	1	1	4
Source 1: Environment and Climate Change Canada^[88] (sun 1981–2010)^[89]^[90]^[91]^[92]^[93]^[94]^[95]^[96]^[97]^[98]^[99]^[100]^[101]
Source 2: Weather Atlas(UV)^[102]

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