In Canada and the United States numerical climate zones were created for the express purpose of understanding where certain plants could be grown across the continent. The zones are based on the average low temperature experienced during the coldest times of the year. The higher the number, the warmer the zone; the lower the number, the colder the zone.
To the right is the climate zone map of BC. Please note that the United States USDA zones differ slightly from the Canadian zones. if you would like to find the zone in your specific region, check out the interactive climate zones map link below.
Another useful way to visualize macroclimate is looking at climographs for a region. These are generated using precipitation and temperature data collected at climate stations. Climate stations can vary slightly across an area the size of the lower mainland, but the general trends stay very consistent.
As can be seen from this climograph of Vancouver, it rains the most and the winter when it’s coldest, and rains the least in the summer when it’s hottest.