Reykjavík climate
Reykjavík (Iceland) has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc). The average temperature over the year is 5 °C41 °F, and about 1,638 mm65 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Reykjavík climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 236 | −130 | 033 | 1696.6 | 19 |
| Feb | 236 | −129 | 033 | 1526.0 | 18 |
| Mar | 337 | −131 | 134 | 1536.0 | 18 |
| Apr | 642 | 135 | 338 | 1194.7 | 11 |
| May | 948 | 439 | 643 | 933.7 | 4 |
| Jun | 1254 | 745 | 1050 | 833.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 1457 | 948 | 1253 | 993.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 1356 | 947 | 1152 | 1214.7 | 0 |
| Sep | 1050 | 643 | 847 | 1817.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 643 | 337 | 540 | 1475.8 | 7 |
| Nov | 439 | 133 | 236 | 1495.9 | 14 |
| Dec | 236 | −130 | 133 | 1726.8 | 19 |
| Year | 1457 | −129 | 541 | 1,63865 | 108 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 91% | 78% | 0.1 | 5:19 |
| Feb | 91% | 79% | 0.5 | 8:25 |
| Mar | 89% | 80% | 1.8 | 11:29 |
| Apr | 87% | 81% | 3.5 | 14:57 |
| May | 83% | 80% | 4.8 | 18:20 |
| Jun | 83% | 81% | 5.1 | 21:01 |
| Jul | 83% | 83% | 4.5 | 19:45 |
| Aug | 85% | 79% | 3.5 | 16:22 |
| Sep | 88% | 80% | 2.0 | 12:52 |
| Oct | 91% | 78% | 0.9 | 9:33 |
| Nov | 91% | 78% | 0.2 | 6:17 |
| Dec | 92% | 76% | 0.0 | 4:12 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Reykjavík is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 14 °C57 °F and a low of 9 °C48 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 2 °C36 °F and lows −1 °C29 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 11.1 °C19.9 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,638 mm65 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 30% of the annual total. The wettest month is September (181 mm7.1 in), the driest is June (83 mm3.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 83% in June to 92% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 76%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in July to 17 km/h (11 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 4.2 hours in December to 21.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 14 cm).
Best time to visit Reykjavík
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are June, July and August (average highs 12 °C54 °F, 14 °C57 °F and 13 °C56 °F).
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C36 °F and very wet (169 mm6.6 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Reykjavík
- Winter (December–February) — highs around 2 °C36 °F, lows around −1 °C29 °F, about 164 mm6.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 337 to 9 °C48 °F, lows −131 to 4 °C39 °F, about 122 mm4.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1254 to 14 °C57 °F, lows 745 to 9 °C48 °F, about 101 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 439 to 10 °C50 °F, lows 133 to 6 °C43 °F, about 159 mm6.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Reykjavík compares
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Trondheim (Norway, Dfb), St. Johns (Canada, Dfc) and Bergen (Norway, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Tórshavn 795 km · 8 °C46 °F · 1,183 mm47 in
- Stornoway 1,056 km · 10 °C49 °F · 1,375 mm54 in
- Aberdeen 1,321 km · 9 °C49 °F · 907 mm36 in
- Glasgow 1,336 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,380 mm54 in
- Dundee 1,338 km · 8 °C47 °F · 999 mm39 in
- Edinburgh 1,371 km · 9 °C48 °F · 889 mm35 in
- Belfast 1,386 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,068 mm42 in
- Nuuk 1,432 km · 0 °C31 °F · 885 mm35 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Reykjavík?
July is the warmest month in Reykjavík, with an average high of 14 °C (57 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (48 °F).
What is the coldest month in Reykjavík?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (36 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (29 °F).
When does it rain the most in Reykjavík?
September is the wettest month with about 181 mm (7.1 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 83 mm (3.3 in).
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 101 m, while Reykjavík lies at about 37 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.