Akureyri Weather by Month

Hours, prices and access verified by the Akureyri Iceland Tours team — last checked 2026-09-23.

Akureyri weather decides whether a boat sails and whether a road is open, not just how warm you are. The figures below are the Icelandic Met Office’s 1961 to 1990 averages for the Akureyri station. If you are matching a month to a trip, the Akureyri northern lights tour and the whale boats both run on their own seasons.

What the weather does to a tour here

The boats cancel for sea state, not for cold. When the operator calls a sailing off, you are offered another date or your money back, sometimes at short notice. So put the whale boat early in your stay, and leave a spare day behind it.

The wind on the fjord is the thing to dress for. The boats hand out warm overalls, but one Húsavík RIB leaves gloves and hats out of its kit, so bring your own. On land, the paths at the waterfalls ice over from late autumn to spring, and the paved road on the west side of Dettifoss is not in winter service from January until the beginning of April.

The aurora needs dark and clear. Cloud, not cold, is what ruins a northern lights night, and from May to August it never gets dark enough. Recent decades run warmer than the table: the Met Office puts the 1991 to 2020 annual mean at about 4 °C, against 3.2 on this record.

Planning round the sea state?

Every whale fare cancels free up to 24 hours before, and the operators rebook or refund when they cancel for weather.

See the Akureyri whale boats Compare every tour

Akureyri month by month

Akureyri weather in January

You can expect highs of 1 °C and lows of −6 °C. About 55 mm of rain or snow falls, on 11 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 7 hours of sun. The aurora season is at its darkest here. The paved road on the west side of Dettifoss is not in winter service, so plan the lake and Goðafoss instead.

Akureyri weather in February

You can expect highs of 2 °C and lows of −5 °C. About 42 mm of rain or snow falls, on 8 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 36 hours of sun. The light comes back fast, and sunshine goes up five times on January. Ice on the paths at the falls is still the thing to plan for.

Akureyri weather in March

You can expect highs of 2 °C and lows of −4 °C. About 43 mm of rain or snow falls, on 10 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 77 hours of sun. Still winter on the ground: the Met Office logged −19.3 °C in town on 12 March 2023. Clear, cold nights are good aurora nights.

Akureyri weather in April

You can expect highs of 5 °C and lows of −2 °C. About 29 mm of rain or snow falls, on 6 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 130 hours of sun. The western Dettifoss road comes back into service early in the month, and the puffins arrive from mid-April. The aurora season ends with it.

Akureyri weather in May

You can expect highs of 10 °C and lows of 2 °C. About 19 mm of rain or snow falls, on 5 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 174 hours of sun. The driest month on the record. The food walk starts in mid-May, the 4x4 Dettifoss day runs from the 18th, and the cruise ships begin to call.

Akureyri weather in June

You can expect highs of 13 °C and lows of 6 °C. About 28 mm of rain or snow falls, on 6 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 177 hours of sun. The sunniest month, and close to 24 hours of daylight around the solstice. You can sail, walk and swim at any hour, with no aurora at all.

Akureyri weather in July

You can expect highs of 14 °C and lows of 8 °C. About 33 mm of rain or snow falls, on 7 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 158 hours of sun. The warmest month on the record, but a cold wind still crosses the fjord. Take the layers the boats hand out and wear them.

Akureyri weather in August

You can expect highs of 14 °C and lows of 7 °C. About 34 mm of rain or snow falls, on 7 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 136 hours of sun. The puffin trips stop in mid-August. The Met Office logged 24.3 °C in town on 25 August 2023, the warmest day of that year.

Akureyri weather in September

You can expect highs of 10 °C and lows of 4 °C. About 39 mm of rain or snow falls, on 8 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 85 hours of sun. The aurora season opens again, and the cruise season closes. In 2023 more than half of the summer’s rain fell here in September.

Akureyri weather in October

You can expect highs of 6 °C and lows of 0 °C. About 58 mm of rain or snow falls, on 11 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 52 hours of sun. The wettest month on the record. The tourist desk at Hof closes on the 16th, and the 4x4 Dettifoss day runs to the 31st.

Akureyri weather in November

You can expect highs of 3 °C and lows of −4 °C. About 54 mm of rain or snow falls, on 11 days of 1 mm or more, and you get about 15 hours of sun. Short days and long aurora nights. Expect ice on the roads east, and check the conditions before any drive to the lake.

Akureyri weather in December

You can expect highs of 1 °C and lows of −5 °C. About 53 mm of rain or snow falls, on 11 days of 1 mm or more, and you get no hours of sun. The record gives December no sunshine at all: the sun stays behind the mountains. The lagoon stays open, lit, and warm.

The seasons, and which one you want

Season	Average high	Average low	Rain or snow a month	Sun a month
Winter: December to February	1 °C	−5 °C	About 50 mm	About 14 hours
Spring: March to May	6 °C	−1 °C	About 31 mm	About 127 hours
Summer: June to August	14 °C	7 °C	About 32 mm	About 157 hours
Autumn: September to November	6 °C	0 °C	About 50 mm	About 51 hours

Summer is what most people want: long light, the mildest air and the puffins. It is also when the ships are in, so book the small boats ahead. Spring is the driest season here, and May is the driest month.

Autumn and winter are the aurora months, and the wettest. Autumn carries the most rain and snow of the four seasons, just ahead of winter, which has the shortest days. Come for the lights, the lagoon and the snow, and keep the long road trips flexible.

Daylight: from midnight sun to short winter days

Daylight swings harder here than anywhere you are likely to have come from. It shapes the aurora, the boats and the road trips more than the temperature does.

When	Daylight	Sunshine that month, on the record
Around 21 June	Close to 24 hours	About 177 hours
Around the March equinox	About 12 hours	About 77 hours
Around the September equinox	About 12 hours	About 85 hours
Late December	A few hours	None: the sun stays behind the mountains

The best time of day, in any month

In summer, time does not matter much: there is light at midnight. Put the whale boat first, so a cancelled sailing leaves you days to rebook, and the lagoon last: it is open until midnight.

In winter, work round the light. Do the drives and the waterfalls in the middle of the day, and keep the evening for the lagoon or the aurora. The northern lights hunt leaves after dark and brings you back to town late.

What to pack for Akureyri weather

A warm hat and gloves, in every month, for the fjord.
A waterproof layer. Rain and snow fall on 100 or so days a year.
Grippy shoes or spikes from October to April, for the paths at the falls.
Swimwear, year round, for the pool and the lagoon.
A sleep mask in June, when it never gets dark.

Asked about the weather

Do whale tours get cancelled for weather?

Yes, sometimes at short notice, when the sea is too rough. The operators offer another date or a full refund when they cancel, and the free 24-hour cancellation covers you if you change your own plans.

What should I wear on a whale boat?

Layers, a hat and gloves, even in July. Warm overalls are handed out on every boat here; one Húsavík RIB leaves gloves and hats out of its kit, so bring your own.

How cold is Akureyri in winter?

From December to February, highs average about 1 °C and lows about −5 °C on the long-run record. Cold snaps go much lower: the Met Office logged −19.3 °C in March 2023. The wind on the fjord makes it feel colder still.

How warm does Akureyri get in summer?

July averages highs of about 14 °C, and June and August are close behind. Warm spells happen: 24.3 °C on 25 August 2023. Out on the boat, dress for ten degrees less.

What is the wettest month in Akureyri?

October, at about 58 mm, with January close behind. May is the driest, at about 19 mm. Akureyri is dry for Iceland: under 500 mm a year on the record.

Will I see the midnight sun in Akureyri?

Close to it. Around the June solstice there are close to 24 hours of daylight, and the sky does not get dark at all. The town sits just south of the Arctic Circle, which crosses only the island of Grímsey to the north.

Where these figures come from

Every monthly temperature, rainfall and sunshine figure is the Icelandic Met Office’s 1961 to 1990 averages for the Akureyri station, read 23 September 2026. The recent annual mean and the 2023 extremes are from the Met Office’s own review of that year. Daylight is from timeanddate.com. The road season is the regional board’s, and the kit lists come from the tours’ listings.

Next: choose a season with when to visit Akureyri. Then read Akureyri in winter, see what to do when a boat is cancelled, or compare every fare on Akureyri Iceland Tours.

Tours for a changeable day

Akureyri: Whale Watching Shore Excursions

Two and a half hours from the town-centre harbour with warm overalls, heated indoor seating, and a second-chance ticket if you see no whales.

From $103 per person

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Forest Lagoon Admission Ticket with Towel and One Drink included

Entry with a towel, a locker and your first drink at the bar. The lagoon runs a free shuttle bus, so a wet day there needs no car.

From $83 per person

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Northern Lights Tour from Akureyri

Three hours in a climate-controlled van with a local guide and pickup at select hotels. If cloud hides the lights, a second attempt the next night.

From $113 per person

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