What to Wear in Vancouver in December
Vancouver in December: 7°C / 45°F afternoons, 1°C / 34°F nights, about 19 rainy days, and snow, perhaps, half an hour up the mountain.
- Dark teal hooded rain shell — about 171mm of rain, much of it in long, heavy spells
- Grey chunky turtleneck — the warm layer under the shell
- Stone grey down jacket — for Grouse's skate pond after dark
- Navy rubber knee boots — 14 days with more than 2.5mm of rain
- Dark olive insulated leather gloves — wet rails at the skate pond and on the SeaBus
- Black nylon belt bag — keeps hands free under a hood
- Suede boots or a wool overcoat — they soak through in an atmospheric river
- Assuming the mountains will be white — they opened late in 2025
- Canyon Lights on Christmas Day — the park is closed
- Expecting the Christmas Market after the 24th — it closes on Christmas Eve
Pack for rain, then for altitude. NOAA's 30-year record for Vancouver International Airport puts December at 6.6°C by day and 1.2°C at night, with about 171mm of rain on roughly 19 days, 14 of them above 2.5mm. That is a lot of water at a temperature just warm enough to keep it liquid. The Government of BC describes the narrow bands of heavy rain known as atmospheric rivers as "common in British Columbia", and a run of them last December brought up to 100mm in 24 hours. Up on the North Shore it can be snow, or not: in 2025, the North Shore News reported, warm weather meant "abnormally late starts for the local mountains", and Grouse opened on 19 December. So one trip may take in the Christmas market at Canada Place in the rain and a mountaintop skate pond after dark. Bring a hooded waterproof shell, a warm knit, a packable down jacket and rubber boots.
December in Vancouver is a rain city with a snow mountain at the end of the bus line. Pack a shell for the first and a down layer for the second, and do not count on the snow.
The capsule
01Dark teal hooded rain shellThis is the Vancouver coat, and a local one: Arc'teryx was founded in North Vancouver in 1989 and describes its outerwear as engineered to shield against wind, wet and snow. With about 19 wet days, a hooded waterproof shell does more than any wool coat. Dark teal hides road spray and reads as local rather than tourist.
02Heather grey chunky turtleneckAt 7°C / 45°F the shell keeps you dry and the knit keeps you warm, and a chunky turtleneck covers the neck the hood leaves open. Wool stays warm when damp, which cotton does not. It is also the layer you keep on in a café on Main Street when the shell comes off.
03Stone grey quilted down jacket, stand collarFor the mountain. Grouse calls its Peak of Christmas pond "the only mountaintop outdoor skate pond in the Lower Mainland", open from 20 November to 24 December, and it is colder and drier up there than at sea level. A packable down jacket goes under the shell in a downpour or on its own on a dry, cold night by the lake. Stone grey matches the knit.
04Mid-wash straight-leg jeansEveryday denim for a city that dresses down: you will see jeans at almost every restaurant table. A straight leg tucks into the rubber boots on a wet day and falls over them on a dry one. Mid-wash rather than pale, because the hem will meet puddles.
05Navy rubber knee-high rain boots, lug soleNOAA's record counts about 14 December days with more than 2.5mm of rain at YVR, and the Seawall, Granville Island and the market at Jack Poole Plaza all have standing water on them. Knee-high rubber keeps the jeans dry, and a lug sole grips wet boardwalk. Swap to the down jacket and keep the boots for the mountain trail.
06Dark olive insulated leather glovesLeather sheds rain that soaks straight through knit, and insulation matters on a mountaintop at night or on the SeaBus deck. The knit cuffs tuck under the shell's sleeves. Wear them on the skate pond, where a fall onto wet ice is easier on gloved hands.
07Plum ribbed merino beanieA hood keeps rain off, and a beanie keeps your head warm under it; together they let you walk the Seawall in a squall with both hands free. Merino stays warm when it gets wet. Plum is the one bright note in a capsule of teal, grey and navy.
08Black nylon crescent belt bagNylon shrugs off rain, and a belt bag worn across the chest sits under the shell where nothing gets wet. It leaves both hands free for a hot drink at the Christmas Market, a railing on the Capilano suspension bridge or skates at Grouse. Tickets, phone, card, gloves: that is all December needs.
Day to night
Grey turtleneck · teal shell zipped · plum beanie · mid-wash jeans in navy rubber boots · black belt bag. Coffee on Main Street, the Seawall from Canada Place to Stanley Park in a dry spell, Granville Island for lunch.
Stone down jacket under the shell · olive gloves · same boots. The Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza, then the bus up to Grouse for the Peak of Christmas skate pond after dark, or Canyon Lights at Capilano, open until 9pm.
A suggested look — dark teal hooded rain shell, grey chunky turtleneck, plum ribbed beanie, mid-wash straight jeans, navy rubber rain boots.
What to avoid
- Suede and a wool overcoat — rain on about 19 days
- Counting on snow on the North Shore — the hills opened late in 2025
- Canyon Lights on Christmas Day — the park is closed
- The Christmas Market after 24 December — Christmas Eve is the last day
- The Seawall past Prospect Point during the winter rock-scaling closure
Frequently asked questions
Wet, mild and dark early. NOAA NCEI's 30-year record for Vancouver International Airport, an Environment and Climate Change Canada station, gives an average December high of 6.6°C and a low of 1.2°C, about 171mm of rain on roughly 19 days and about 12cm of snow in an average December. Frost comes on about 11 nights. The Government of BC notes that atmospheric rivers, narrow bands of heavy precipitation, are common in the province; last December a series of them brought up to 100mm of rain in 24 hours. Sunset is close to 4:15pm all month.
A dark teal hooded rain shell, a grey chunky turtleneck, a stone grey down jacket, mid-wash straight jeans, navy rubber knee-high boots, dark olive insulated leather gloves, a plum merino beanie and a black nylon belt bag. That covers a 7°C / 45°F rainy afternoon downtown and a colder night on the mountain. Leave the suede, the wool overcoat and the shoes that cannot get wet at home.
Usually on the mountains, rarely in the city, and never guaranteed. YVR averages about 12cm of snowfall in December on NOAA's record, often in one or two falls that melt quickly. The North Shore hills normally open for skiing in late November or December, but in 2025 warm weather delayed them: Grouse opened on 19 December and Cypress the next day. Grouse, which first opened for skiing in 1926, is an easy 30-minute drive from downtown, Destination Vancouver says. Pack a down layer for the mountain and a rain shell for the city either way.
Rain gear and boots, for an evening outdoors on wet ground. The Vancouver Christmas Market runs at Jack Poole Plaza from 16 November to 24 December 2026, with single tickets on a 30-minute arrival window and the heated Alpen Haus as the main indoor space. Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park runs from 20 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, 11am to 9pm, closed on Christmas Day, and is included in admission. Both are mostly outside: wear the hooded shell, a warm knit, rubber boots and gloves you can hold a hot drink in.
Mid-December for the most open at once. The Christmas Market and Grouse's Peak of Christmas both run until 24 December, Canyon Lights runs into January, and by mid-month the North Shore hills have usually opened, though not in 2025. On Christmas Day TransLink ran buses on a Sunday or holiday schedule last year, and SkyTrain's Expo and Millennium lines at reduced service. On New Year's Eve 2025 transit was free from 5pm to 5am. Daylight bottoms out at about 8h 11m on the solstice.
Almost the same weather, with a different reason to be outside. NOAA's YVR record gives December 6.6°C and 1.2°C and January 6.9°C and 1.4°C, with about 19 wet days in each and around 170mm of rain. December is about the markets, the lights and a mountain that may or may not be ready, which is why this guide leans on a shell and a packable down jacket. January starts with the Polar Bear Swim at English Bay on New Year's Day and brings the city's rare snow days, which our January guide plans for.
A technical rain shell, jeans, boots and a beanie, often from brands that started here. Arc'teryx was founded in North Vancouver in 1989, and its shells are the city's default winter coat. Aritzia began in 1984, when Brian Hill opened the first standalone boutique in Oakridge Centre. Lululemon opened its first retail space in a yoga studio in Kitsilano in 1998. The look is practical and dressed down: you will see a rain jacket at a fine-dining table, and few heels.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI — 1991–2020 climate normals, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) stationEnvironment and Climate Change Canada operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its global-summary-of-the-month records for the airport (CAN01108447, joined to its successor CAN01108395), 29–30 Decembers. Rain days count days with 0.01 in (0.25 mm) or more of rain or melted snow.
- NOAA NCEI — Global Summary of the Month, Vancouver International Airport (CAN01108447 and its successor CAN01108395), 1991–2020 — accessed 2026-10-22
- Government of BC (17 October 2023) — British Columbians advised to prepare for fall storms and heavy rain (atmospheric rivers) — accessed 2026-10-22
- Government of BC (9 December 2025) — a series of atmospheric rivers; up to 100 mm of rain in 24 hours; high streamflow advisory for the North Shore Mountains — accessed 2026-10-22
- North Shore News, Hilary Angus (19 December 2025) — Ski season opening on Grouse Mountain today, Cypress tomorrow — accessed 2026-10-22
- Destination Vancouver — Get ready for the 2024–25 ski season in Vancouver (Grouse, Cypress, Seymour; night skiing) — accessed 2026-10-22
- Grouse Mountain — Peak of Christmas, 20 November to 24 December 2026 — accessed 2026-10-22
- Vancouver Christmas Market — Jack Poole Plaza, 16 November to 24 December 2026 — accessed 2026-10-22
- Capilano Suspension Bridge Park — Canyon Lights, 20 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 (closed 25 December) — accessed 2026-10-22
- TransLink Buzzer (19 December 2025) — holiday service levels, including Christmas Day (2026 not yet published) — accessed 2026-10-22
- TransLink (17 December 2025) — free transit on New Year's Eve, 5pm to 5am — accessed 2026-10-22
- Vancouver Park Board — Seawall (9 km around Stanley Park; winter rock-scaling closure Prospect Point–Third Beach) — accessed 2026-10-22
- Arc'teryx — extreme cold weather clothing (founded in 1989 in North Vancouver) — accessed 2026-10-22
- Aritzia — Our history (first standalone boutique, Oakridge Centre, 1984) — accessed 2026-10-22
- Lululemon — Our history (first retail space in a Kitsilano yoga studio, 1998) — accessed 2026-10-22
