Gibsons climate
Gibsons weather and your roof: rain, salt and summer fire
Gibsons gets most of its weather as rain. The Gibsons station averaged 1,370.8 mm of precipitation a year in the 1981–2010 Environment and Climate Change Canada normals, 1,342.4 mm of it as rain and just 28.4 cm as snow. The town faces Howe Sound, and the SCRD's wildfire plan expects summer precipitation to drop by about 16% by the 2050s.
Reviewed by Scott Plumptree, Director of Marketing, The Interlock Group · Updated October 24, 2026
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Annual precipitation, Gibsons station
1,370.8 mm, 1981–2010 normals
Wikipedia, citing Environment Canada
Annual rainfall and snowfall
1,342.4 mm rain; 28.4 cm snow
Wikipedia, citing Environment Canada
Record temperatures
36 °C (June and July) and −17.8 °C (December)
Wikipedia, citing Environment Canada
Projected change by the 2050s
Summer precipitation down about 16%; mean annual temperature up 1.6 °C
SCRD Community Wildfire Protection Plan (June 2021)
Gibsons rain: wet winters on Howe Sound
Nearly all of Gibsons' precipitation falls as rain: 1,342.4 mm of the 1,370.8 mm yearly total at the Gibsons station. Snow averages 28.4 cm a year and rarely lasts, though the record low of −17.8 °C shows cold snaps do reach the coast.
Rain is what wears out cedar and asphalt here. Interlock® aluminum absorbs no water, the panels lock on four sides, and the fasteners stay hidden underneath, out of the weather.
- Gibsons station, 1981–2010: 1,370.8 mm precipitation a year
- Rain: 1,342.4 mm; snow: 28.4 cm
- Coldest month: December, mean 4.0 °C; warmest: August, mean 18.2 °C
- Records: 36 °C high, −17.8 °C low
Salt air in Lower Gibsons and along Roberts Creek
Gibsons sits on the northwest shore of Howe Sound, and Lower Gibsons looks out over the harbour and the marina. Roberts Creek runs along its own beaches toward Sechelt. Homes in both places live with sea air.
Steel roofing relies on its coating to keep salt off the iron underneath. With aluminum there is no iron for salt to attack, and the metal grows a thin oxide skin of its own.
Drier summers and wildfire around Gibsons and Roberts Creek
The SCRD's Community Wildfire Protection Plan (June 2021) projects mean annual temperature up 1.6 °C and summer precipitation down 16% by the 2050s, which it says can lengthen the wildfire season. It found central Gibsons at moderate or low risk because it is more widely separated from forest, while the Roberts Creek Official Community Plan sets a goal to "reduce the potential for fires in interface areas."
Our roofs are Class A Fire Rated Available, as a complete assembly, and aluminum does not ignite. No roof is fireproof. The Town of Gibsons asks residents to "Keep roofs, gutters and decks free of leaves and needles," and that advice applies to a metal roof too.
Heat, wind and the Gibsons roofline
The station's record high is 36 °C, reached in both June and July. Exposed waterfront homes take the wind straight off the Sound. The roof is warranted to 193 km/h (120 mph) installed to manufacturer specification, and we look at the ridge and edges facing the water when we measure.
Gibsons questions, answered
Our place is right above the Gibsons harbour. Will the sea air rust an aluminum roof?
Aluminum cannot rust, because rust needs iron and aluminum has none. The metal also covers itself with a thin protective oxide layer. That is why we use it on waterfront houses in Lower Gibsons, where the harbour air reaches the roof every day.
Does it snow enough in Gibsons to need snow guards?
Not often, but it happens. The Gibsons station averaged 28.4 cm of snow a year in its 1981–2010 normals. Because snow slides off metal in one go, we still look at doors, steps and parking spots at the estimate and add snow guards where a slide could cause trouble.
We're under big firs in Roberts Creek. What upkeep does a metal roof need?
Mainly clearing needles. They pile up in valleys and gutters, hold water and can catch embers in a dry summer. The Town of Gibsons gives the same advice for roofs and gutters. Clearing them each fall, before the winter rain, keeps water moving off the roof.
Is wildfire really a concern in a rainy place like Gibsons?
Less in the town centre than at the forest edge. The SCRD's 2021 plan rates central Gibsons at moderate or low risk because it sits farther from forest, but it expects summers to get drier, with about 16% less summer precipitation by the 2050s. Homes backing onto trees should plan for it.
Sources for this Gibsons guide
- Wikipedia — Gibsons (Gibsons station climate normals, 1981–2010)
- Sunshine Coast Regional District — Community Wildfire Protection Plan, June 2021 (PDF)
- Town of Gibsons — Wildfire Mitigation
- Wikipedia — Roberts Creek, British Columbia
Product specifications are the manufacturer's (Interlock Roofing). Install counts are from our own job book. Reviewed by Scott Plumptree, October 24, 2026.
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