Climate - Reykjavik (Iceland)

The climate of Reykjavik is subpolar oceanic, with cold winters and very cool summers.
The city is the capital of Iceland and is located on the south-western coast.
A short distance from the city we find the Esian volcano, 914 meters (2,999 ft) high and covered with snow for many months of the year.
The latitude of Reykjavík is 64°09'N. On the shortest day of the year, December 21st, the sun rises around 11:20 am and sets around 3:30 pm. On the longest day, June 21, the sun rises at 2:55 am and sets three minutes after midnight (this happens because of the time zone adopted by Iceland). 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 (January) is of 0 °C (32 °F), that of the warmest months (July, August) is of 11.5 °C (53 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 800 millimeters (31.5 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 45 mm (1.8 in) in the driest month (May) to 85 mm (3.3 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, 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 9:25 am and sets at 6 pm, while in mid-March, it rises at 7:45 am and sets at 7:30 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 -10/-12 °C (10/14 °F), however, it can occasionally drop to lower values. The coldest record is -19.7 °C (-3.5 °F), recorded in January 1971. Later, the temperature dropped to -17 °C (1.5 °F) in January 1979, to -15.5 °C (4 °F) in January 1981, and to -15 °C (5 °F) in March 1998 and in November 2004.

The summer is cool, with fairly frequent rains. There are very cool periods, with highs of 10/12 °C (50/54 °F), especially in June, but also milder periods. On the warmest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches 20/22 °C (68/72 °F).
The temperature reached 24.5 °C (76 °F) in July 1976, 23.5 °C (74.5 °F) in July 1980, 23 °C (73.5 °F) in July 1991, 25 °C (77 °F) in August 2004, 25.5 °C (78 °F) in July 2008 (record), and 23.5 °C (74.5 °F) in July 2018.



On average, there are around 1,310 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 5 °C (41 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F). So, it is very cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Reykjavik 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.