Weather locations in Iceland

Iceland sits astride the mid-Atlantic ridge in the North Atlantic, only just south of the Arctic Circle, yet its winters are milder than those of many places much further south. The Irminger Current, a warm branch of the Gulf Stream, wraps around the southern and eastern coasts and holds the island's temperatures up. Everything about the weather — the wind, the rain, the sudden changes — follows from that one fact.

Main climate types

Köppen classifies Iceland as tundra and subpolar oceanic, with only the central highlands reaching into a true polar desert regime. Vegetation is low and open — heather, moss and scrub — because the growing season is too short and too cool for trees away from the sheltered fjords. Volcanic activity is frequent and ash weather is an occasional hazard. Between the mountains, the interior basins are coldest and driest; the coast is mildest and wettest.

Temperatures

Reykjavík averages about 0 °C in January and about 12 °C in July, a remarkably narrow range for a place this far north. The east and north coasts run a touch colder, with Akureyri near -1 °C in January, while the southern lowlands are the mildest. Snow lies on the ground in the lowlands for only a few weeks each winter. Summer highs above 20 °C are rare but occur most years somewhere in the south.

Rainfall

Totals are high and spread unevenly. Reykjavík takes in about 800 mm a year, the southern and south-western lowlands 1,000 to 1,500 mm, and the eastern fjords and the highlands considerably more, exceeding 2,000 mm in places. Much falls as drizzle and driving rain rather than downpours, and cloudy days outnumber clear ones. Long spells of rain are common in October and November, and winter storms bring strong gusts over the coast.

When to go

Summer, from June to August, offers the longest days, the most reliable travel conditions and the best access to the highland roads. Northern lights are best from September to March, when the nights are dark and the weather clear; the season around the equinoxes is often the most active. Winter brings wind, rain and storm warnings, but also the least crowded countryside. Fine weather can change within hours at any time of year.