Climate - Stykkisholmur (Iceland)

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The climate of Stykkisholmur is subpolar oceanic, with cold winters and very cool summers.
The small town is located on the west coast of Iceland, in the peninsula called Snæfellsnes, 100 km (60 mi) north of Reykjavik. The climate is similar to that of the Icelandic capital, although it is a bit cooler in summer.
The latitude of Stykkisholmur is 65°05'N. On the shortest day of the year, December 21st, the sun rises around 11:45 am and sets around 3:15 pm. On the longest day, June 21, the sun rises at 2:30 am and sets 35 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 24 to August 18.
The average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of -0.5 °C (31 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 10.9 °C (52 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 680 millimeters (26.8 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 30 mm (1.2 in) in the driest month (June) to 80 mm (3.1 in) in the wettest (January). 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 9:30 am and sets at 6 pm, while in mid-March, it rises at 7:50 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 around -10 °C (14 °F), however, it can occasionally drop to lower values. The coldest record is -19 °C (-2 °F), recorded in March 1969. However, in recent decades, the temperature has not dropped to such low values. After 2000, the temperature dropped to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in February 2004, to -14 °C (7 °F) in December 2004, to -14.5 °C (6 °F) in February 2008 (years 2000s record), and to -12.5 °C (9.5 °F) in December 2013.

The summer is cool, with fairly frequent rains. There are periods a bit cold, with highs around 10 °C (50 °F), especially in June, but also milder periods. On the warmest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches 18/19 °C (64/66 °F).
The record heat is 22 °C (71.5 °F) and was recorded in June 1949. From 2000 to 2020, the temperature exceeded 20 °C (68 °F) on the following occasions: 21 °C (70 °F) in June 2002, 20.5 °C (69 °F) in August 2004 and in July 2007, 21 °C (70 °F) in July 2017, 20.5 °C (69 °F) in July 2018 and 20 °C (68 °F) in July 2019.



The sea temperature ranges between 4 °C (39 °F) and 9 °C (48 °F). So, it is very cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Stykkisholmur 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.