Climate and temperature development in Iceland
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The climate in Iceland



All climate diagrams on this page come from the collected data of 6 weather stations.
All data correspond to the average monthly values of the last 20 years.
Country data: Iceland
Iceland is located high in the north near the Arctic Circle, which means that the country offers long winters with short days and short, cool summers with long days. Especially the low solar radiation during the winter months contributes to the cold temperatures. Average winter temperatures range from -1 to -5°C, while in summer they average 10-15°C.

The Gulf Stream, a warm Atlantic ocean current from the tropics, moderates the cold and ensures that temperatures are moderate compared to other areas of similar latitude. In the southern coastal regions, this current meets the land directly and the climate is therefore maritime in character. Here, winters are noticeably milder than inland. The capital Reykjavik on the southwest coast has average winter temperatures of -1 to 2°C and summer temperatures of 10 to 13°C.

The highlands, located in the center of the island, have a subarctic climate with cool summers and harsh winters. The numerous glaciers also have a cooling effect on their surroundings because they melt slowly in the summer. Winters are particularly cold here, with average temperatures of -10 to -5°C.

Duration of daylight and sunshine in Iceland
Compare climate with other regions or countries
Hours of sunshine per daySunshine hours per day in Iceland
Rain days per monthRain days per month in Iceland
Precipitation in mm/dayPrecipitation in Iceland

Regions in Iceland

All figures per year. For detailed climate data click on the name of the region.

RegionTemperature
max Ø day
Temperature
min Ø night
Rainy
days
Precipitation
Capital Region8.4 °C2.9 °C158905 l
East8.3 °C3.0 °C1561,548 l
Northeast8.0 °C1.6 °C115602 l
South7.8 °C4.3 °C1871,588 l
Southern Peninsula8.1 °C3.2 °C1741,091 l
West7.6 °C2.5 °C132741 l

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to December 2023 was reported by the Akureyri weather station. In July 2021, the record temperature of 27.5 °C was reported here. The hottest meteorological summer from June to August, based on all 5 weather stations in Iceland , was recorded in 2010 with an average temperature of 11.2 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 9.7 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 14.4 °C.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Reykjavik weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -19.4 °C in February 2008. Reykjavik lies at an altitude of 61 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (December to February) was in 1979 with an average temperature of -2.8 °C. In Iceland, it is usual to have about 3.1 degrees more at 0.2 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in November 2002. With 19.4 mm per day, the Hofn Airport weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years.



Record months last year

We compared the record values of the past months with those of the same months in previous years. We used the same criteria to examine the respective maximum and minimum values in the categories of average temperature, precipitation, hours of sunshine and the maximum and minimum temperatures measured throughout the country. We have listed all measured values that have not been reached in Iceland for 10 or more years.
  • With just 1.33 liters of precipitation in 2023, November was drier than it had been for 28 years (1.02 l/m² in 1995).
  • With 1.60 hours of sunshine per day in November 2023, there was more sunshine than in any November in the last 13 years (1.70 hours in 2010).
  • With 7.25 hours of sunshine per day in July 2023, there was more sunshine than in any July in the last 14 years (7.60 hours in 2009).
  • With 4.80 hours of sunshine per day in May 2023, there was less sunshine than in any May in the last 15 years (4.45 hours in 2008).
  • At -2.35°C, March 2023 was the coldest March in 44 years (-4.20°C in 1979).
  • With just 0.78 liters of precipitation in 2023, March was drier than it had been for 58 years (0.72 l/m² in 1965).
  • With 4.55 hours of sunshine per day in March 2023, there was more sunshine than in any March in the last 43 years (4.70 hours in 1980).
  • At -1.53°C, January 2023 was the coldest January in 28 years (-1.88°C in 1995).
  • With 0.80 hours of sunshine per day in January 2023, there was more sunshine than in any January in the last 13 years (0.80 hours in 2010).
The most recent months after December 2023 are not yet available here. We only calculate climatic comparisons after a large number of weather stations on a continent have checked and published their data.




Long-term development of temperatures from 1990 - 2023

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 3 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1990 to 2023, there were only these 3 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values (Akureyri, Keflavik, Reykjavik). From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was August 2021 at 13.0 °C. December 2022 was the coldest month with an average temperature of -3.9 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 4.3 °C in the years after 1990 and about 5.0 °C in the last years before 2023. It has therefore increased only slightly by about 0.7 °C over the past 34 years. This trend only applies to the selected 3 weather stations in Iceland. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Long-term development of temperatures in Iceland

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 5 stations in Iceland itself. In one case, a nearby weather station from a neighboring country was used to obtain more accurate values.
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This page was first published in December 2016 and has been continuously updated since then. Last modified: March 2024