Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Raufarhöfn is
subarctic, with cold winters and very cool summers, or even a little cold.
The village is located in the extreme north-east of Iceland, a short distance from the Arctic Circle.
Due to the location in the north and on a peninsula (called Melrakkaslétta), summer is colder than in cities like Akureyri and Reykjavik, which are in more sheltered locations.
The
latitude of Raufarhöfn is 66°27'N, just 10 km (6 mi) south of the Arctic Circle. On the shorter days of the year, around December 20th, the day lasts 2 hours and a quarter. On the longest days, the sun does not set, in fact, due to refraction, it remains above the horizon even at midnight from June 8th to July 6th. The white nights, in which it is not completely dark even at midnight, occur before and after this period, from April 21st to August 23rd.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -2.3 °C (28 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 8.3 °C (47 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Raufarhöfn - Average temperatures| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | -5 | 0 | -2.3 | 23 | 33 | 27.9 |
|---|
| February | -5 | 1 | -1.9 | 24 | 33 | 28.6 |
|---|
| March | -5 | 1 | -2.2 | 23 | 33 | 28.1 |
|---|
| April | -3 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 37 | 32 |
|---|
| May | 0 | 6 | 3.2 | 33 | 42 | 37.7 |
|---|
| June | 4 | 9 | 6.6 | 39 | 49 | 44 |
|---|
| July | 6 | 11 | 8.3 | 42 | 52 | 46.9 |
|---|
| August | 6 | 11 | 8.2 | 42 | 51 | 46.8 |
|---|
| September | 3 | 8 | 5.4 | 37 | 46 | 41.7 |
|---|
| October | 0 | 5 | 2.6 | 32 | 41 | 36.8 |
|---|
| November | -3 | 2 | -0.7 | 26 | 35 | 30.7 |
|---|
| December | -5 | 1 | -2.1 | 23 | 33 | 28.3 |
|---|
| Year | -0.5 | 4.8 | 2.15 | 31.1 | 40.6 | 36 |
|---|
amounts to 735 millimeters (28.9 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 30 mm (1.2 in) in the driest month (May) to 85 mm (3.3 in) in the wettest (October). Here is the average precipitation.
Raufarhöfn - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 75 | 3 | 15 |
|---|
| February | 55 | 2.2 | 11 |
|---|
| March | 65 | 2.6 | 15 |
|---|
| April | 45 | 1.8 | 11 |
|---|
| May | 30 | 1.2 | 7 |
|---|
| June | 40 | 1.6 | 7 |
|---|
| July | 50 | 2 | 9 |
|---|
| August | 60 | 2.4 | 10 |
|---|
| September | 75 | 3 | 13 |
|---|
| October | 85 | 3.3 | 15 |
|---|
| November | 80 | 3.1 | 15 |
|---|
| December | 75 | 3 | 16 |
|---|
| Year | 735 | 28.9 | 144 |
|---|
As is typical of Iceland, the weather is often unstable and windy.
In
winter, there can be relatively mild periods, in which the temperature reaches 7/8 °C (44.5/46.5 °F). On the other hand, winds from the north pole or from Greenland can bring freezing periods of three or four days, in which the minimum temperature reaches about -20 °C (-4 °F). The coldest record is -24.6 °C (-12.3 °F), recorded in March 1969.
It usually snows from October to April or early May.
The
summer is very cool, and sometimes even cold, especially in June. The rains are quite frequent. However, there can be very mild periods of two or three days, in which the temperature reaches or exceeds 20 °C (68 °F). The highest record is 25 °C (77 °F), recorded in July 1955, in May 1992 and in August 1995.
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The
sea temperature ranges between 2 °C (36 °F) and 8 °C (46 °F). So, it is very cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Raufarhöfn - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 3 | 37 | February | 3 | 37 | March | 2 | 36 | April | 2 | 36 | May | 4 | 38 | June | 6 | 42 | July | 7 | 45 | August | 8 | 46 | September | 7 | 44 | October | 5 | 41 | November | 4 | 39 | December | 3 | 38 | Year | 4.5 | 40.1 |
Best Time
The best time to visit Raufarhöfn 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.