Where to Go for Great Weather
Iceland · Month guide

Iceland in January

Around -1 °C with 139 mm of rain and 0.8 hours of sun a day.

January is a solid shoulder-season month in Iceland. Around -1 °C with 139 mm of rain and 0.8 hours of sun a day. Use the regional grid below to find where this month works best — national averages hide the swings between coast, highlands, and inland.

Plan a trip in January← Iceland year-round
Match verdictMatch: Avoid. Iceland · January.
Avoid
Iceland · January
What the weather usually does

Iceland · typical month

  • Day / night
    -6 – -1 °C
    Year range -6 – 11 °C
  • Rainfall
    139 mm
    Year range 86 – 153 mm
  • Sunshine
    0.8 hr / day
    Year range 0.3 – 6.7 hr / day
Compare with another destination
What’s open · January

Things to do in Iceland in January

January closes 3 things below; the rest run as normal.

  • Closed
    Highland F-roads (Landmannalaugar, Askja)

    the interior is shut for winter - F-roads stay gated until the snow clears and the rivers drop to a fordable depth

    Sources: mapoficeland.is, camper.is

  • Closed
    Laugavegur trek

    the huts and the highland bus link close with the F-roads

    Sources: guidetoiceland.is, mapoficeland.is

  • Closed
    Puffin colonies

    outside the nesting window the birds are out at sea and the colonies are empty

    Sources: cafevatnajokull.is, guidetoiceland.is

  • At its best
    Natural ice caves (Vatnajokull)

    the glacier is cold enough for the natural caves to be stable, and guided tours run

    Source: guidetoiceland.is

Opening seasons are checked by hand against the operators and parks themselves, not derived from the climate figures on this page. Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Dates move — confirm before you book.

9 regions · current month

Iceland, taken apart

Safety · 5 governments

What the governments say about Iceland

Combined advisory · most-cautious-wins
Exercise normal precautions
Highest level across 5 governments · Advisory last changed
See breakdown by country
AU

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.smartraveller.gov.au
DE

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.auswaertiges-amt.de
UK

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.gov.uk
US

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked travel.state.gov

Parts of Iceland carry a higher advisory — up to level 2, "Exercise increased caution". The governments concerned name a region rather than a boundary, so the carve-out is not drawn on the map and is not reflected in the combined level above. Follow the source links for where it applies.

Climate at a glance · 10-year ERA5

A decade of weather, in one page

Temperature°C
Temperature · 12-month climatologyIceland. Average daytime high by month in °C. Lowest in January (-1.0), highest in July (11.3). Monthly means: -1.0, -0.3, -0.0, 2.7, 6.1, 9.3, 11.3, 10.7, 7.8, 3.9, 1.0, -0.7.
— daytime high— overnight low▬ typical range
View data table
MonthAverage daytime high (°C)Average overnight low (°C)Typical lowTypical high
January-1.0-5.8-12.05.0
February-0.3-4.8-10.35.3
March-0.0-4.5-10.75.0
April2.7-2.1-8.97.5
May6.11.1-4.411.3
June9.34.4-0.413.3
July11.36.53.515.4
August10.75.92.714.1
September7.83.3-1.612.2
October3.9-0.3-6.69.0
November1.0-3.2-9.27.5
December-0.7-5.1-13.35.5
Rainfallmm
Rainfall · 12-month climatologyIceland. Rainfall by month in mm. Lowest in July (86), highest in February (153). Monthly means: 139, 153, 126, 93, 92, 93, 86, 97, 152, 139, 121, 138.
View data table
MonthRainfall (mm)
January139
February153
March126
April93
May92
June93
July86
August97
September152
October139
November121
December138
Sunshinehr / day
Sunshine · 12-month climatologyIceland. Sunshine hours by month in hr / day. Lowest in December (0.3), highest in May (6.7). Monthly means: 0.8, 2.5, 5.0, 6.6, 6.7, 5.1, 4.0, 3.8, 2.9, 2.1, 1.1, 0.3.
View data table
MonthSunshine hours (hr / day)
January0.8
February2.5
March5.0
April6.6
May6.7
June5.1
July4.0
August3.8
September2.9
October2.1
November1.1
December0.3
Windkm/h
Wind · 12-month climatologyIceland. Average wind speed by month in km/h. Lowest in August (11.5), highest in January (17.0). Monthly means: 17.0, 17.0, 15.7, 13.8, 13.3, 12.9, 11.6, 11.5, 14.2, 14.6, 15.4, 16.6.
— average▬ typical range
View data table
MonthAverage wind speed (km/h)Typical lowTypical high
January17.09.128.5
February17.08.329.3
March15.77.626.8
April13.86.724.2
May13.36.923.1
June12.97.221.9
July11.66.318.9
August11.55.820.3
September14.26.724.4
October14.67.225.5
November15.47.627.9
December16.68.028.5
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← Earlier
December

Around -1 °C with 138 mm of rain and 0.3 hours of sun a day.

Later →
February

Around -0 °C with 153 mm of rain and 2.5 hours of sun a day.

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