Reykjavík climate

Name: Reykjavík
Address: IS

Reykjavík is warmest in July, with average highs of 14 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -3.5 °C. September is the wettest month (134 mm) and June the driest (80 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.

Across a full year Reykjavík averages 1,354 mm of rain, 0 days above 25 °C and 131 days below freezing.

Iceland · population 118,918 · 1991–2020 normals

Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month

Warmest month July 14 °C
Coldest month January -3.5 °C
Driest month June 80 mm
Wettest month September 134 mm
Least cloud October 72 % cloud
Hottest on record July 25 °C
Coldest on record February -24 °C
Warmest sea August 11 °C

What to expectReykjavík through the year

Reykjavík has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 1.2 °C in January to 14 °C in July, a swing of 13 °C in mean temperature across the year.

Counted across a normal year, 0 days a year reach 25 °C, 131 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 25 °C, in July.

Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 80 mm in June to 134 mm in September. There is no dry season to aim for.

The sea off Reykjavík is warmest in August at 11 °C and coldest in March at 4.9 °C. Sea temperature lags the air by a month or two, which is why late summer swims warmer than early summer at the same air temperature.

Month by month

Month	Avg high	Rainfall	Cloud
January	1.2 °C	131 mm	78 %
February	1.3 °C	131 mm	76 %
March	2.5 °C	118 mm	75 %
April	5.6 °C	104 mm	73 %
May	9.3 °C	92 mm	73 %
June	12.5 °C	80 mm	76 %
July	14.3 °C	86 mm	77 %
August	13.3 °C	104 mm	77 %
September	10.3 °C	134 mm	77 %
October	6.0 °C	121 mm	72 %
November	2.8 °C	121 mm	75 %
December	1.3 °C	133 mm	76 %

Temperature month by month

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Mean	Record high	Record low	Days below 0 °C
January	1.2 °C	-3.5 °C	-1.1 °C	9.1 °C	-20.3 °C	22
February	1.3 °C	-3.5 °C	-1.0 °C	9.1 °C	-23.7 °C	21
March	2.5 °C	-2.6 °C	0.0 °C	10.4 °C	-20.8 °C	22
April	5.6 °C	0.0 °C	2.9 °C	14.2 °C	-13.6 °C	14
May	9.3 °C	3.3 °C	6.4 °C	17.8 °C	-5.4 °C	4
June	12.5 °C	6.8 °C	9.8 °C	20.6 °C	-0.9 °C	0
July	14.3 °C	8.7 °C	11.6 °C	25.1 °C	3.5 °C	0
August	13.3 °C	8.2 °C	10.8 °C	25.1 °C	2.6 °C	0
September	10.3 °C	5.8 °C	8.0 °C	17.0 °C	-2.1 °C	1
October	6.0 °C	2.0 °C	4.0 °C	13.6 °C	-9.9 °C	9
November	2.8 °C	-0.9 °C	1.0 °C	10.7 °C	-15.0 °C	17
December	1.3 °C	-3.2 °C	-0.9 °C	10.4 °C	-20.9 °C	22

Rain, sun and wind month by month

Month	Rainfall	Wet days	Daylight	Cloud cover	Humidity	Wind	Sea temp
January	131 mm	17	5.4 h/day	78 %	83 %	25 km/h	5.3 °C
February	131 mm	17	8.5 h/day	76 %	81 %	26 km/h	5.1 °C
March	118 mm	17	12 h/day	75 %	80 %	24 km/h	4.9 °C
April	104 mm	16	15 h/day	73 %	78 %	22 km/h	5.6 °C
May	92 mm	16	18 h/day	73 %	77 %	20 km/h	7.2 °C
June	80 mm	14	21 h/day	76 %	77 %	18 km/h	9.6 °C
July	86 mm	14	20 h/day	77 %	80 %	17 km/h	11.2 °C
August	104 mm	15	16 h/day	77 %	82 %	18 km/h	11.4 °C
September	134 mm	17	13 h/day	77 %	84 %	22 km/h	10.0 °C
October	121 mm	15	9.9 h/day	72 %	84 %	22 km/h	8.3 °C
November	121 mm	16	6.5 h/day	75 %	83 %	24 km/h	6.8 °C
December	133 mm	17	4.2 h/day	76 %	83 %	25 km/h	5.8 °C

Where Reykjavík ranks

Ranking	Position	Value
The coolest places in Europe in August	3rd of 50	13 °C
The coolest places in Europe in July	3rd of 50	14 °C
The coolest places in Europe in September	3rd of 50	10 °C
The coolest places in Europe in June	4th of 50	13 °C
The coolest places in Europe in May	5th of 50	9.3 °C
The coolest places in the world in September	7th of 50	10 °C

Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Reykjavík.

QuestionsCommon questions about Reykjavík’s climate

When is the best time to visit Reykjavík?

That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. June, July, August sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and June the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.

How hot does Reykjavík get?

In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 14 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 25 °C.

How cold does it get in winter?

Nights average -3.5 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 131 nights below freezing.

Which month is wettest in Reykjavík?

September, averaging 134 mm over 17 days with rain. The driest month is June with 80 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,354 mm.

Are these figures a forecast?

No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Reykjavík rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.

Data sources and method

ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0

Normal period: 1991–2020
Data point: 64.135°, -21.895° (the coordinates the reanalysis values are taken for)
Dataset version: era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
Last processed: 1 August 2026

Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.

Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.