Reykjavík weather in January
In January, Reykjavík has daytime highs averaging 1.2 °C, nights around -3.5 °C, with 17 wet days, and a sea temperature of 5.3 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 1.2°C Average high
- -3.5°C Average low
- 17days Wet days
- 131mm Rainfall
- 5.3°C Sea temperature
- 5.4h Daylight
Daily temperatures through January
How January develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 January | 1.0 °C | -3.5 °C | 52 % |
| 11–20 January | 0.9 °C | -3.9 °C | 59 % |
| 21–31 January | 1.6 °C | -3.3 °C | 58 % |
- Rain is most likely over days 11–20 of January (59 % of days) and least likely over days 1–10 (52 %).
What to expect
| Measure | Typical January | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 22 of 31 | 72 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 17 of 31 | 56 % |
Conditions in January
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | -1.1 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 9.1 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | -20 °C |
| Relative humidity | 83 % |
| Wind speed | 25 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 78 % |
January compared with the months around it
| 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 % |
| November | 2.8 °C | 121 mm | 75 % |
| December | 1.3 °C | 133 mm | 76 % |
See all twelve months for Reykjavík
- January is the 12th warmest month here.
- It is the 9th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 12th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 5.4 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 17 of 31 days — 56 % of the month.
- Nights are about 4.7 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest January day on record since 1991 reached 9.1 °C, 7.9 °C above the usual daytime high.
QuestionsJanuary in Reykjavík, answered
How warm is Reykjavík in January?
Daily highs average 1.2 °C and nights fall to about -3.5 °C, a spread of 4.7 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes January the 12th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Reykjavík in January?
January averages 131 mm of rain, spread over about 17 of the 31 days — 56 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 78 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in January?
The sea averages 5.3 °C off Reykjavík in January. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in January?
Reykjavík averages 5.4 hours between sunrise and sunset in January. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
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
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. 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.