Storm season on the Pacific
Season: November to March. Beginning in November, the much-anticipated winter storm season for Ucluelet and Tofino usually lasts until February or March. More and more people turn up every year to see some of the most ferocious storms the west coast of North America has to offer. Gale-force winds sometimes reaching 70 km/h, pounding rain and massive 15-foot waves relentlessly whip through and crash against the rocky Pacific coastline.
Our condos have a great ocean view. You can sit roasting by the fire, in accommodation with heated floors, while the weather outside does its best to break the rocks in two. We're also close to Big Beach and just a couple of minutes' drive from the Amphitrite Lighthouse.
These devastatingly powerful storms form when a low-pressure air system moves north into the Gulf of Alaska. In the zone between, northern arctic air and subtropical air combine to create a frontal wave as the system begins to move south-east toward Vancouver Island. As the front travels east, the pressure drops rapidly and the low-pressure system intensifies, as do the winds and waves, making the perfect recipe for storm after storm to come crashing against Ucluelet.
Winter storm watching is growing ever more popular, and Ucluelet is set up marvelously to facilitate it. The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve has become a favourite location for those who want to experience these powerful storms firsthand, and boat tours are available for the truly courageous. For those simply struck by the magnitude and force of the storms who want to see them at their strongest without feeling them at their strongest, there are safe places to watch that offer the view without the rest of it.
Ucluelet hosts about 15 to 20 of these mega-storms from November through March. For off-season travelers who relish the outdoors and are captivated by raw nature, Ucluelet in winter is a great place to connect with the sheer power and beauty of Mother Nature, whether snuggled by the fireplace in a cabin or out in the thick of it on a boat off the Pacific coast, rocked side to side as tempest gales and furious waves pound the shore.
Ucluelet gets over 4 metres of rain a year, and during these stormy months it will hit you from every angle. The Wild Pacific Trail in the Pacific Rim National Park offers many viewpoints for storm watching, and the Amphitrite Lighthouse is perhaps the best vantage point on land. Some of the massive waves that crash on the shore send ocean spray right over the lighthouse itself.
After a storm passes, many like to forage the shores and comb the beaches for interesting sea life, driftwood, or even glass from Japanese fishing floats. Our ocean-view condos (the largest units of any kind in Ucluelet) are a great place to watch these powerful storms and relax near the fire.