Climate - Hofn (Iceland)

The climate of Höfn (Höfn í Hornafirði) is subpolar oceanic, with cold winters and very cool summers.
The small town is located on the southeastern coast of Iceland, at the foot of the Vatnajökull glacier.
The latitude of Höfn is 64°15'N. On the shortest day of the year, December 21st, the sun rises around 11:00 am and sets around 3:00 pm. On the longest day, June 21, the sun rises at 2:25 am and sets at 11:40 pm. The white nights, in which it is not completely dark even at midnight, occur from April 27 to August 15.
The average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of 0.3 °C (33 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 11 °C (52 °F). Here are the average temperatures (measured at Hornafjörður airport in the period 1992-2005).

Precipitation amounts to 1,455 millimeters (57.3 inches) per year: it is therefore quite abundant. It ranges from 85 mm (3.3 in) in the driest month (July) to 185 mm (7.3 in) in the wettest (October). Here is the average precipitation.

As is typical of Iceland, the weather is often unstable and windy. Snowfalls typically occur from October to April or early May, although they rarely prevail over rain for long periods.
The winter, from December to March, is cold, cloudy and windy, with very short days in the first part, which then gradually become longer (in mid-February, the sun already rises at 8:55 am and sets at 5:35 pm, while in mid-March, it rises at 7:15 am and sets at 7:00 pm).
During some periods, the temperature fluctuates around freezing, and rainfall alternate with snowfall.
There are also quite mild periods, in which the temperature reaches 7/8 °C (45/46 °F), but it often rains and a strong wind blows.
There are also very cold periods, characterized by snow and frost, which generally last no more than a week.
On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature typically drops to -8/-10 °C (14/18 °F), however, it can occasionally drop to lower values. The coldest record is -19 °C (-2 °F), recorded even in early April 1968 and in March 1969 (this is explained by the fact that March is still a fully winter month, and given the maritime climate, in spring temperatures rise late). However, in recent decades, these values have no longer occurred, and it is now very rare that it reaches -15 °C (5 °F).

The summer is very cool, and sometimes even cold, especially in June. The rains are also frequent in this season. However, there can be very mild periods of two or three days, in which the temperature reaches or exceeds 18 °C (64 °F).
The highest record is 24.5 °C (76 °F) and was recorded in August 2004.



On average, there are around 1,200 sunshine hours per year. So, the sun doesn't shine often. From November to January, the sun is practically never seen, also because the days are very short. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 7 °C (45 °F) and 11 °C (52 °F). So, it is cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Höfn is the summer, from June to August, since it is the mildest season. However, there are often cloudy skies, rain and a bit of cold. Therefore, it is advisable to bring a jacket and a sweater even in the height of summer.