Climate - Vík (Iceland)

The climate of Vík í Mýrdal is subpolar oceanic, with cold winters and very cool summers.
The small town is located on the southern coast of Iceland, south of Katla volcano, in the mildest and wettest place of the island. In fact, it is rare to find in the world, outside the tropics, a place so rainy at sea level.
The latitude of Vík í Mýrdal is 63°25'N. On the shortest day of the year, December 21st, the sun rises around 11:00 am and sets around 3:30 pm. On the longest day, June 21, the sun rises at 3:00 am and sets at 11:35 pm. The white nights, in which it is not completely dark even at midnight, occur from April 30 to August 12.
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 9:10 am and sets at 5:50 pm, while in mid-March, it rises at 7:30 am and sets at 7:20 pm). However, the winter here is slightly milder than in the rest of Iceland.
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/-9 °C (16/18 °F), however, it can sometimes drop to lower values.
The cold record, -17 °C (1.5 °F), was recorded even in early April 1968 (it must be said that March is still a fully winter month, and given the maritime climate, in spring temperatures rise late). However, after the year 2000, the temperature only dropped a few times to -10 °C (14 °F) or a little below, and to -11.5 °C (11.5 °F) in March 2008.

The summer is cool, with frequent and abundant rains even in this season. 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 17/18 °C (63/64 °F), although it can sometimes reach higher values. The highest record is 24.5 °C (76.1 °F) and was set in August 2004.

Best Time

The best time to visit Vík í Mýrdal 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.

Vík - Climate data

In Vík, the average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of 1.9 °C (35.3 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 11.6 °C (52.9 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
In Vík, precipitation amounts to 2505 millimeters (98.6 inches) per year: it is therefore very abundant. It ranges from 145 mm (5.7 in) in the driest month (May) to 260 mm (10.2 in) in the wettest one (September). Here is the average precipitation.
At Vík, the sea temperature ranges from 7 °C (45 °F) in February, March, April to 12 °C (54 °F) in August. Here are the average sea temperatures.