Iceland’s climate has been riddled with a lot of myths and misconceptions. Therefore, accurately and practically, based on the best statistical data and our own experience, we describe what kind of weather to expect when coming to this beautiful island.
Iceland is actually a small island located in the middle of the vast and cool Atlantic. Therefore, regardless of the season, its weather always has several distinctive features. Here are the most important basic features of Iceland’s year-round weather:
The typical (and unusual) weather for each month in Iceland can be read from the charts below. Hover over the graphs with your cursor to show you the exact data for the selected month.
But you should also be prepared for extremes – the temperature, unfortunately, can approach both the dashed red line (the highest temperature recorded in a given month) and the dashed marine-colored line (the cold record for a given month). Importantly: the graph shows data collected in the standard way, i.e. 1m above the ground. Temperatures near the ground are often much lower. For longer trips, the chance of encountering weather extremes clearly increases.
In the chart below – probably even better than the temperature chart – you can see why the high tourist season lasts in Iceland from May to August. All weather factors line up favorably then.
A
storm weather alerts
A major storm can happen in any month, of course, but the phenomena are more frequent from September to March. In autumn (which is somewhat evident from statistics and charts), periods of bad weather are longer, but somewhat milder. In contrast, at the beginning of the year, storms often take a more violent form, although perhaps more often “interspersed” with periods of beautiful, sunny weather. Except that in December and January, the sun comes out over the horizon here only for a short few hours a day.
Several volcanoes in Iceland are constantly active. Icelandic services keep track of this activity and warn of danger if necessary. These are not common events (from the perspective of tourists), but they can happen nonetheless.
According to Polish criteria, there is basically no winter at all in the south of Iceland, as the average daily air temperature here stays above 0 °C (32 °F) in every month. On the other hand, from November until March there is fairly uniform weather, which can hardly be described as anything other than just winter.
icy Road 1 in winter
In the north – in Akureyri and Isafjordur – pronounced winter also lasts just from November to March, but it is slightly colder there. Average daily air temperatures then mix between -1 °C and +1 °C, average lowest nighttime air temperatures then drop below 0 °C (32 °F) (but remain above -4 °C / 5 °F), and maximum daytime temperatures are (on average!) between 2 °C (36 °F) and 5 °C (41 °F). As in the south, this is also the period of the strongest winds and high rainfall.
The lowest temperatures recorded in Reykjavik from November to March fall below -10 °C (14 °F), and in the north even to -15 °C (5 °F). By the way, this is the temperature measured according to the world standard, so 1m above the ground. Meanwhile, temperatures at the very ground drop to -20 °C (-4 °F) and beyond during this period, including on the southern coast. Strong winds further intensify the sensation of cold and strongly reduce the so-called “perceptible temperature.
From November to March there are many storms in Iceland and, as a rule, snow, which is common everywhere. In the north the snow cover persists throughout the winter, in the south it tends to “appear and disappear.” However, also in the south, after a strong snowstorm, large areas of the country can be cut off from the world for up to several days.
Closed roads in southwest Iceland; December 19, 2022
We usually qualify November as autumn, but in Iceland it is actually the first winter month. This is especially true in the north of the country. The average daily temperature – even in the north – is still above 0 °C (32 °F) (but below 5 °C / 41 °F), but many days – and especially nights – are already really cold. The minimum air temperature there drops below 0 °C (32 °F), and the strongest frosts reach -10 °C (14 °F).
Number of days with a given daily temperature in November.
(max daily temp, Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
Sunrise and sunset in November
Precipitation remains at the high level to which it had already grown in September. However, now – combined with low temperatures – snowstorms are also already appearing.
Wind strength is also increasing. Although the highest will not be until February, the average for November – 15.4 km/h (9.6 mph) – is clearly higher than in October, and it will not drop to lower values again until April.
Although snow in November is not yet a regular visitor, especially in southern Iceland, a November completely without snow would be rather strange.
Like September and October, November is also an unpleasant stormy month, but in addition, frosts are already starting then, so conditions for visiting Iceland get really unpleasant.
The end of the year is cold, windy and snowy (or rainy), like all winter, but the most important feature is the super-short days. The average number of hours of sunshine in December in Reykjavik drops to 0.5 hrs (yes – only half an hour a day, on average for the whole month!), and in the north, in Akureyri, simply to zero. During the winter solstice – December 22 – the sun in Reykjavik begins to rise at 11:23 a.m., but never rises completely and smoothly transitions into sunset, which ends at 3:30 p.m.
Naturally, it is also colder than in November. The average maximum temperature drops to 3.4 °C (38 °F) during the day and -1.6 °C (29 °F) at night.
Distribution of daily temperatures in December
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
However, these relatively warm days are, as it were, offset by perhaps few, but very cold days. For example, on December 30, 2022, the maximum daytime temperature was only -8.2 °C (17.2 °F), and the minimum at night was a record -15.2 °C / 4.6 °F (this was the lowest temperature recorded since 2000). Even lower are the temperatures measured near the ground – here the record belongs to 2/12/2019 and is -20.3 °C (-4.5 °F).
It was also on December 2022 that the aforementioned snowstorm occurred, which cut off all of Reykjavik and Keflavik Airport, among others, for 2 days.
Combined with persistently high precipitation and strong winds, the perceptible temperature is usually really low in December.
As a “consolation,” so to speak, let’s point out that, in turn, the highest temperature recorded since 2000 in Iceland in December was as high as 12 °C / 54 °F (this was on December 6, 2002). So it varies 🙂
Sunrise and sunset in January
January is also a month of very strong winds. The average wind speed in Reykjavik is 16.9 km/h (10.5 mph), but gusts reach up to 76 km/h (47 mph). On the West Fjords peninsula, it was in January that the strongest winds were recorded – the record reading was as high as 236.2 km/h (146.8 mph)!
January is also one of the months with high precipitation totals. If the precipitation hits a low temperature (and it’s easy to do so at night), snowstorms can happen all over the island, even cutting off parts of the island from civilization (usually for the night and morning, but sometimes even for 2-3 days).
Distribution of daily temperatures in January
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
February is still a winter month, of course, but especially in the south you can already feel spring slowly approaching. Although frost is still standard at night, but on average it is already rather mild – between 0 °C (32 °F) and -3 °C (27 °F). There are, of course, nighttime frosts of around -10 °C (14 °F), but in turn the warmest recorded nights had temperatures even above 7 °C (yes: above +7 °C (44 °F) in February, at night!).
During the day, as in January, about 60% of days have maximum temperatures between 1 °C (39 °F) and 7 °C (44.6 °F), but almost 20% of days have temperatures between 7 °C (44.6 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F), and only less than 5% fall below -2 °C (28.5 °F). In the chart below, you can also see that the days in February split almost perfectly in half between those that record temperatures above and below 4 °C (39 °F).
Distribution of daily temperatures in February
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
In February, precipitation and wind still remain high in Iceland. In the West Fjords, it is even the month with the highest average wind strength. In Reykjavik, too, it was February that recorded the most wind gusts (the average is 33.4 km/h / 20.8 mph). Therefore, even though the temperature objectively may already be completely bearable, the perceived temperature is still, however, annoyingly low, and the risk of a critical weather collapse is high.
March in Iceland still has to be considered a winter month. However, the noticeably longer day creates weather that is much milder than in December or January and perhaps optimal for seeing the winter face of Iceland.
If you want to see the aurora borealis and remarkable ice caves then March is perfect time for that.
Distribution of daily temperatures in March
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
The wind has not yet begun to abate either. Its average speed in both Reykjavik and Isafjordur in the Western Fjords is 16.7 km/ (10.4 mph). And the February record, measured at Thverffjall Hill (Þverfjall) above the aforementioned Isafjordur, is still over 200 km/h (125 mph). So it’s getting brighter and warmer, but still conditions can be very difficult.
Amount of sunshine in March.
On March 21 comes the vernal equinox, the symbolic first day of spring. The sun rises at 7:26 a.m. and sets more than 12 hours later, as late as 7:46 p.m. Moreover, ‘daytime’, the time when the sun is at least 6º above the horizon, lasts for more than 10 hours (from 8:29 a.m. to 6:42 p.m.), while in December and January ‘daytime’ does not occur at all. With cloudless skies, the weather can be beautiful!.
Certainly in Iceland, March is the last month of relatively stable, but severe, winter weather. Instead, starting in April, dynamic changes begin to shift Icelandic weather into summer modes.
From the point of view of a tourist coming to Iceland, April and May should be considered spring here. These are two months of marked change between relatively stable winter weather and another relatively stable summer period. In April and May, on the other hand, all weather factors change very dynamically.
The weather changes in spring are mainly the ever-increasing day length, rapidly decreasing precipitation, decreasing wind speed and increasing temperature – both daytime and nighttime. So all factors are changing in a way that is favorable to tourists.
However, let’s not go into hurra-optimism. In the West Fjords, for example, the noticeably weaker wind means so much that while from November to March we record winds of up to 200 km/h (125 mph), spring records settle only around a “measly” 160 km/h (99 mph). Spring is still a challenging season.
April is rather still too cold and wet for a pleasant visit to the island. Rather too high is then still the chance of snow and/or a strong storm. But in May, tourist traffic clearly begins to increase, and prices usually still remain at or near winter levels. If you’re not afraid of bad weather and/or if you’re lucky, it’s possible to see Iceland very nicely by then.
Travel recipe: 7-13 days in Iceland in spring
As we mentioned above, April is noticeably warmer than March, but nevertheless it is still a cool month. On the other hand, virtually all months are cool in Iceland, so there is nothing to be picky about 🙂
Distribution of daily temperatures in April
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
Even in the north – in Akureyri – the average minimum night air temperature is already above zero in April (0.2 °C, but still). And only in the Western Fjords – in Isafjordur – the average night temperature is still ‘in the minus’. But even there this minus is quite symbolic, as it is exactly -0.8 °C (30.6 °F).
Cold records in the West Fjords still have values typical of winter (-13.5 °C / 7.7 °F), but even the average maximum daytime temperature already enters distinctly higher than winter levels: it’s 5.2 °C (41.4 °F).
puffin
In all regions of Iceland, precipitation also drops noticeably in April. In the south, the decrease is still relatively small, but in the north – in Akureyri – April is the first of the three months with the lowest precipitation of the entire year.
In April, the so-called “astronomical night” disappears
Wind strength is also weakening. Interestingly, it drops noticeably more strongly in the north and in the West Fjords than in the Reykjavik area. For while in February in both Reykjavik and Isafjordur the average wind speed is 17.4 km/h (10.8 mph), in April it is already 15.8 km/h (9.8 mph) in Reykjavik and 13.8 km/h (8.6 mph) in Isafjordur. The numerical values may not be spectacular, but for Isafjordur this means a drop in average wind strength of just over 20%. This is certainly a noticeable change.
If you want to see Iceland in relatively pleasant weather and when there aren’t too many people there yet, and the prices for car rentals or accommodations are still reasonably low, May is the perfect month to do so (see Spring trip plan for Iceland: 7 to 13 days).
The average maximum daytime air temperature is already over 10 °C (50 °F) in May, and only less than a fifth of days (17.5%) have a maximum daytime temperature below 8 °C (46 °F). This can be seen in the graph below.
Distribution of daily temperatures in May
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
The average minimum temperature at night in the south is 4 °C (39 °F), in the north 3 °C (37.4 °F), in the east 2.3 °C (36.1 °F), and the coldest according to this statistic is in the West Fjords: 1.8 °C (35.2 °F).
It’s even colder in the interior (an average of 5.7 °C (42.3 °F) during the day and -1.3 °C (29.7 °F) at night), but the interior is still closed to tourists in May, so we only give this as a curiosity.
In conclusion, taking strictly daytime air temperatures alone, May in Iceland already gives the impression of a pretty nice early spring month. And this is somewhat true, but with two caveats.
Precipitation in May in virtually all regions of Iceland is at its lowest annual level. However, for some regions it is still high. For example, the station in Delatangi in the east records an average of 112.4 mm of rain in May, which is just one of the lowest results for that station. But at the same time, it is more than the meteo stations in Reykjavik or the West Fjords record in any month of the year… That’s the East for you…
The wind in May is already much weaker in all regions, compared to winter conditions. However, it is still weakening and will only reach its minima in late summer.
Many people ask and wonder if it’s a good idea to go to Iceland in May, and sleep in a tent. It’s cheaper that way, of course, and most campgrounds are already open in May. In addition, in most of Europe May is already very warm, and as you can see from the chart above, Iceland is also “survivable.” If you want to sleep in a tent, however, be prepared for a different kind of weather.
For those thinking about Iceland in May with a tent, we have collected data and prepared a graph showing the minimum temperature at night, at the ground level – see the blue graph below.
By default, the air temperature around the world is measured 1 m above the ground – that’s the standard we’re all accustomed to. But the temperature at the ground level, can differ from this quite significantly. And indeed – night temperatures near the ground in May in Iceland look quite different than the maximum daily temperature chart might suggest. See for yourself:
Distribution of minimum air temperature at ground level in May
(% of nights with given min. temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
For the sake of completeness: the average minimum temperature at night (measured in the standard way, i.e. 1 m above the ground) is 4 °C (39 °F) in May, with the highest recorded at 11 °C (52 °F) and the lowest at -5.9 °C (21.4 °F). So these are higher indications, but still rather low.
May in Iceland already offers plenty of sunshine and often really nice, warm temperatures. However, the wind can still be annoying (or dangerous, even) and the nights very cold. This is the beginning of the tourist season, but not yet the beginning of summer….
Summer (the period from June to August) is certainly the best time to visit Iceland. Admittedly, there are the most tourists here then, so the prices are also the highest, but the weather is by far the most pleasant, and on top of that, it’s the only period when you can visit the extraordinary interior (see, for example: Most Interesting Places of the Icelandic Interior).
A warm August day in Snaefellsnes
Of course, one must make allowances for the fact that this is Iceland after all. So, for example, a distinguishing feature of the high summer temperatures is that only in these three months did the minimum night air temperature never (between 2000 and 2022) fall below 0 °C (32 °F). The cold record for June was just 0.0 °C (32 °F), for August 2.7 °C (36.9 °F), and for July 3.4 °C (38.1 °F). This is what “warm” means in Iceland 😀 .
For the sake of balance: the three summer months are also the only months in which the maximum daytime temperature above 20 °C (68 °F) was recorded at least once (between 2000 and 2022). The warmth record (for the time being, as climate warming continues) was set on July 30, 2008: it is 25.7 °C (78.3 °F). However, the average maximum daily temperature exceeds the 15 °C (59 °F) mark only in July, and really by a hair’s breadth: it is exactly 15.1 °C (59.2 °F).
Concluding, here’s a “summary of summer” in Iceland:
Summer is also the period of lowest rainfall (45 mm to 60 mm). In the north it’s even less (just less than 20 mm in July), but for the sake of balance in the east, the driest month is June, which records 88.6 mm. Just a reminder that this result – although a record low for eastern Iceland – is still higher than almost every month in Reykjavik….
In summer we can also count on the weakest wind (even “only” 10.9 km/h (6.8 mph) on average for the whole month). But again – in the particularly windy Western Fjords, the lowest monthly average is almost twice as high: 18.7 km/h (11.6 mph; in the hills above Isafjordur). At the same time, the aforementioned Thverfjall hill never (between 2000 and 2022) recorded a month without winds exceeding 60 km/h (37 mph)! (and super strictly: 59.8 km/h / 37.16 mph).
Golden hour all night
Perhaps surprisingly, summer, quite like winter, is a period of relatively stable weather in Iceland (statistically speaking). The individual months don’t vary that much here, although June is certainly the coolest, though, and it can already be more rainy in August. Since this is the most touristy, popular time of year, let’s take a separate look at the weather in each of the summer months.
For those particularly interested in, for example, the weather in the West Fjords or the interiors, once again, check out a separate article just about the weather in each region: Weather in different regions of Iceland.
June is the first month with an average daily temperature exceeding 10 °C (50 °F). Recall that if a month wants to be considered summer, then its average daily temperature must exceed 15 °C (59 °F). Icelandic June (but also July and August) is therefore quite a lot short of this…
Nevertheless, in Iceland, June is summer, because the average maximum daytime temperature is “as high as” 13.4 °C (56.1 °F), and almost the entire month (93.8% of days) reaches a maximum daytime temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or more. See graph:
Distribution of daily temperatures in June
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
June – like all summer – is also the period of lowest rainfall. Everywhere, except the interiors, it is the month with the lowest rainfall, although this means something “slightly” different for each region. This record-low rainfall in the West Fjords is 18.1 mm, in the north – in Akureyri – it’s 19.8 mm, and in the south and around Reykjavik: 45.7 mm.
By contrast, in the east (Delatangi station) the least rainy month records as much as 88.6 mm anyway. It may be worth adding that in that region it is the only month with an average rainfall of less than 100 mm, while the other regions mentioned never exceed this limit….
June is also already a month of relatively weak wind. Although in most regions it will still be at least a little weaker in July, but it is still weaker everywhere than in May, and even 30-40% weaker than in the record winter months.
However, let’s remember the right scale. In the West Fjords, for example, June is not only the month with weak average winds, but also the month with the lowest wind speed record. This record for June is exactly 129.6 km/h (80.5 mph). That’s almost twice as low as the January record (236.2 km/h / 146.8 mph), but still, a month of low winds in which we can be almost certain not to exceed 130 km/h (80 mph) prompts us to curb our optimism somewhat in this regard…
Looking only at the weather, July is certainly the best month to visit Iceland. Virtually every region then has the lowest (or at least very low) rainfall, the weakest wind, a very long day, and, well, the highest temperatures.
As we mentioned earlier: the average maximum air temperature in July is a record 15.1 °C (59.2 °F). And a little more than 1/3 of the days actually pass at a very similar temperature, with more than 80% between 12 °C (53 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). So by most European standards it’s a “moderately warm spring,” but Icelanders already turn their air conditioning on 😉
Distribution of daily temperatures in July
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
Other regions of Iceland record temperatures quite similar, mostly 1 °C/F to 2 °C/F lower. Surprisingly, the record-holder in this infamous respect is not the interior (there the average daytime temperature is 13.2 °C (55.8 °F) in July), but the east! The meteo station in Delatangi in July records average maximum air temperatures of only 11.3 °C (52.3 °F)! We have posted detailed weather information for each region in a separate article: Weather in different regions of Iceland.
July – like all summer – offers relatively low rainfall Only in the north – in Akureyri – is it noticeably more than in earlier months, and in the east even more than in February (but the east in general is the rainiest).
In virtually all regions, it is also in July that we record the lowest average wind strength. In the north it’s 10.8 km/h (6.7 mph), around Reykjavik: 10.9 km/h (6.8 mph), in the east 16.9 km/h (10.5 mph), in the interiors 18.3 km/h (11.4 mph), and in the West Fjords 18.7 km/h (11.6 mph). Stronger wind gusts can – and do – happen everywhere, but this is still certainly the calmest month in this regard.
In July, campgrounds are in full bloom in Iceland, and many people choose to sleep under a tent. This is very sensible, because in summer the costs of car rentals and accommodation are highest, and sleeping in a tent allows you to reduce them sharply.
However, when planning a tent overnight stay, there are three main challenges to keep in mind:
Distribution of minimum air temperature at ground level in July
(% of nights with given minimum temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
Keep in mind that this is data for Reykjavik, quite accurately representative of the entire southwestern region of Iceland. In other areas, as we wrote above, it is similar, but nevertheless usually about 1 °C to 2 °C cooler, so those 30% of nights there may already record temperatures around 0 °C (32 °F).
August is certainly a summer month in Iceland, but already with a distinct “stamp” of autumn. In some regions, it’s still very much a summer month, but in others, it’s already clearly more autumnal.
August is the last of the three months with an average daily temperature of more than 10 °C (50 °F) (to be precise: 11.3 °C / 52.3 °F). The average maximum daytime temperature then is 14.5 °C (58 °F), and the average minimum at night: 8.8 °C (48 °F). It is also the last of the three months when frost does not occur in Iceland (outside of the interior and highlands, of course).
Distribution of daily temperatures in August
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
The lowest average maximum daytime temperature is measured at the eastern station in Delatangi (11.6 °C / 52.9 °F), and not at stations in the interior (12.0 °C / 53.6 °F) nor in the West Fjords (12.8 °C / 55 °F). This is also a sign of summer, because August is the warmest month of the year in the east.
Of course, this is weather information for the lowlands and the ‘general’ highlands. If you drive or hike higher – such as to the Askja crater – you may well find yourself in winterland already.
Path to Viti Crater (Askja, August 2019)
The hours of sunrise and sunset in August
August is also the last month with low winds (although as far as these factors are concerned, regional differences begin to play a bit more of a role). The West Fjords even once had an August in which the wind speed did not exceed 60 km/h (37 mph) on a single day, which is a complete rarity for the region. For comparison: there has not yet happened a January there, when speeds of more than 120 km/h (75 mph) would not have been recorded there….
In the Icelandic interiors, August is the month with the lowest precipitation (an average of 51.3 mm), but in all other regions it is already significantly higher than in May and June, although still far below the winter and – a record in this regard – autumn. For the Reykjavik area, it’s 61.2 mm, compared to 45.7 mm in June and 80 mm to 100 mm from September to March. In other regions, the correlations are similar, although the indication values themselves are different. In the record-breaking rainy east, August already records 135.9 mm of rain, but there, too, that’s far less than will fall in September or January, and especially in the record-breaking October there.
In the second half of August, puffins also begin to depart from Iceland. They will spend the winter off the mainland – feeding in the cold waters of the North Atlantic.
Autumn in Iceland, like in Poland, sometimes begins as early as the end of August, and sometimes not until somewhere in mid-September. Temperatures (especially at night) drop, the wind blows harder and harder, and it rains more often, and harder. The day becomes not only colder and colder, but also wet, short and increasingly dark.
The storms are also already starting to get stronger. Although winter is considered the main storm season, the last famous storm – one that took off the roofs of houses, broke windows (including in cars) and moved cars across parking lots – happened in September. More specifically: September 25, 2022 in northeastern Iceland. See the article here: East Iceland Battered By Storms, Extensive Damage
“Eastern Iceland under storm pressure”
(article in Reykjavik Grapevine)
It is worth noting that autumn, like spring, is, at least from a tourist point of view, a shorter season than winter and summer, because it lasts only two months. August is still warm enough to rather match summer, but November is already cold and rainy and snowy enough to make it realistically a winter month. Therefore, autumn, is actually only September and October. Two months when Iceland returns from its relatively warm and welcoming state to winter weather that is as stable as it is unpleasant.
Autumn is characterized by similar temperatures and wind strength as spring. The main difference between these seasons is the amount of precipitation. While it is relatively low in spring, it breaks records in all regions in autumn. For parts of Iceland, September is the rainiest, and for the rest, October. Naturally, in the east these rainfall records are about twice as high as anywhere else in the country.
What is the weather like in Iceland in autumn? Here is a brief summary of it:
Autumn begins in Iceland in the main with an increase in wind strength and rainfall.
Winds in the south and Reykjavik reach an average of about 14 km/h (8.7 mph), which is about 30% more than in the calmest month – July – although still about 20% less than the windiest month – February. In other regions, the correlations are very similar, although the average wind speed itself can vary somewhat.
Rainfall totals rise from a moderate 61.2 mm by as much as more than 60%: to a record 98.9 mm. In the east, September precipitation totals are as high as 165.3 mm, although for that region this is not (yet) a record.
Maximum daily temperatures are clearly dropping, but still usually stay above 10 °C (50 °F) – see chart.
Distribution of daily temperatures in September
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
The average of the minimum night temperatures was 6.4 °C. The warmest September night recorded as much as 13.4 °C, but the coldest night already a clear frost: -3.4 °C (26 °F). Minimum temperatures at ground level averaged 3.3 °C (38 °F), but have already dropped as low as -10 °C (50 °F) (14 °F). The record “frost” was as low as -11.9 °C (10.6 °F).
September 23 marks the autumnal equinox. After that, the night is again longer than the day and its length increases quite rapidly in Iceland.
October is another transitional month in Iceland, after September, but still warm enough to hardly be called winter. Wind and precipitation are already at high levels, just characteristic of winter, but the average maximum temperature during the day is still above 5 °C, and the night temperature is above 0 °C (32 °F). So winter is still a tad away, although the weather really is far from “cool.”
Distribution of daily temperatures in October
(% of days with a given max. daily temp., Reykjavik, 2000-2022)
Frost during the day (as a maximum temperature) is rather rare, but at night it is already the norm. Even the average minimum temperature at night already falls a tad below zero – it is -0.2 °C (32 °F).
In many regions, rainfall totals are slightly lower in October than in September (and lower than in winter), but in the rainiest eastern region, October is the rainiest month of the year. For the years 2000-2022, the average rainfall in October was as much as 208.8 mm in the east (see the distinct ‘hill’ on the right of the chart below). For many regions of Europe this is a six-month norm!
Wind is also increasing in all regions of Iceland, but nowhere as high as it will be in the winter months. For the oft-mentioned Thverfjall station in the hills above Isafjordur, the strength of the October wind (27.9 km/h / 17.3) is almost 50% more than in July (18.7 km/h / 11.6 mph), but at the same time also almost 50% less than in January (34.1 km/h / 21.2 mph). So it’s already really windy, but “it’s not there yet”.
So when is the best weather to visit Iceland? Strictly speaking, it will certainly be the holiday season. However, if you don’t care about visiting the interior and want to avoid the highest prices, May and June will be the best.
On the other hand, for seeing the aurora borealis, ice caves and the beautiful winter landscape, February and March will certainly be the best, although you have to be lucky then not to hit one of the storms. And only autumn is the period that is actually best avoided.
We write more about which time of year to choose for a trip to Iceland, how to arrange your entire trip then, and in particular what to see, where to sleep, what car to rent and how to build your itinerary in the article When (and how) it’s best to go to Iceland You’ll also find links to suggested detailed itineraries, showing routes and places worth visiting for longer and shorter trips.
