# Cape Beale Light

Cape Beale Lightstation is an active manned lighthouse on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

## History

The lighthouse was built in 1874 and its focal plane is 51 meters above sea level. The present tower was built in 1958 and marks the entrance to Barkley Sound. It is 10 metres tall. Cape Beale received its name from Charles William Barkley, captain of the Imperial Eagle, who named it for his ship's purser, John Beale. The lighthouse is best known for its proximity to the West Coast Trail which is the theoretical route survivors of shipwrecks would take to get to the nearby community of Bamfield.
From 1971 to 1998, the Cape Beale Light was part of the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans everyday for 27 years.

## Geography and climate

Cape Beale Light has a rainy and mild Oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dolk).
Climate data for Cape Beale Light Coordinates 48°47′10″N 125°12′58″W﻿ / ﻿48.78611°N 125.21611°W﻿ / 48.78611; -125.21611﻿ (Cape Beale Light); elevation: 25.9 m (85 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1984–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.5 (70.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 34.5 (94.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 32.0 (89.6) | 30.0 (86.0) | 24.0 (75.2) | 17.5 (63.5) | 14.0 (57.2) | 34.5 (94.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.4 (47.1) | 8.9 (48.0) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.5 (52.7) | 13.9 (57.0) | 15.4 (59.7) | 16.8 (62.2) | 17.0 (62.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 13.4 (56.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.4 (47.1) | 12.5 (54.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) | 6.2 (43.2) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.6 (47.5) | 11.1 (52.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 14.1 (57.4) | 14.3 (57.7) | 13.6 (56.5) | 10.8 (51.4) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.9 (42.6) | 9.9 (49.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | 8.3 (46.9) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.3 (52.3) | 11.6 (52.9) | 10.7 (51.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.3 (41.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 7.2 (45.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) | −10.0 (14.0) | −3.0 (26.6) | 0.5 (32.9) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.0 (39.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | −2.5 (27.5) | −9.0 (15.8) | −8.0 (17.6) | −10.0 (14.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 429.6 (16.91) | 263.1 (10.36) | 290.3 (11.43) | 216.5 (8.52) | 114.9 (4.52) | 98.5 (3.88) | 52.1 (2.05) | 84.9 (3.34) | 121.3 (4.78) | 287.7 (11.33) | 431.3 (16.98) | 386.6 (15.22) | 2,776.8 (109.32) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 422.9 (16.65) | 260.7 (10.26) | 288.5 (11.36) | 216.4 (8.52) | 114.9 (4.52) | 98.5 (3.88) | 52.1 (2.05) | 84.9 (3.34) | 121.3 (4.78) | 283.9 (11.18) | 430.0 (16.93) | 383.5 (15.10) | 2,757.5 (108.56) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 2.3 (0.9) | 2.4 (0.9) | 1.9 (0.7) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.4 (0.6) | 3.5 (1.4) | 11.4 (4.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 22.7 | 19.0 | 23.0 | 19.8 | 15.4 | 13.1 | 11.3 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 20.4 | 23.9 | 23.4 | 221.4 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 22.6 | 18.8 | 22.9 | 19.8 | 15.4 | 13.1 | 11.3 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 20.3 | 23.6 | 23.2 | 220.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 0.70 | 0.76 | 0.65 | 0.03 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.04 | 0.44 | 0.69 | 3.3 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 ||||||||||||||