Akureyri weather in December

In December, Akureyri sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 122 mm of precipitation across 17.3 wet days and about 2.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 3 h 36 min at the start of December to 2 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Akureyri's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Akureyri's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
122 mm
17.3 wet days
Daylight
2 h 18 min
11:59 AM – 2:18 PM
Cloud cover
85%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Akureyri is town in Iceland.

Air quality
Good
PM10 15.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
141/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month.

A typical December day in Akureyri reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-1-6
2-1-6
3-1-6
4-1-6
5-1-6
6-1-6
7-1-6
8-1-6
9-1-6
10-1-6
11-1-6
12-1-6
13-1-6
14-1-6
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-1-6
18-1-6
19-1-6
20-1-7
21-2-7
22-2-7
23-2-7
24-2-7
25-2-7
26-2-7
27-2-7
28-2-7
29-2-7
30-2-7
31-2-7

How December really feels in Akureyri

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
16 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Akureyri weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -6°11517.217.14.10.0
Feb-1° / -6°9515.715.37.60.0
Mar-1° / -6°9716.917.611.10.0
Apr / -3°7314.213.814.80.0
May / 6512.6918.50.2
Jun10° / 6112.12.421.41.9
Jul12° / 7714.20.420.12.8
Aug12° / 8915.10.916.42.6
Sep / 11416.15.612.71.1
Oct / -2°14218.514.79.10.0
Nov-0° / -5°12216.816.25.40.0
Dec-1° / -6°12217.3172.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41387
51387
61387
71288
81189
91189
101189
111288
121288
131288
141288
151288
161288
171189
181189
191189
201189
211189
221189
231189
241288
251387
261387
271387
281486
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Akureyri gets around 122 mm of rain and snow over 17.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 55% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days, and about 17 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15756
25857
35857
45857
55857
65856
75856
85755
95755
105654
115653
125553
135552
145452
155452
165452
175352
185352
195352
205353
215353
225353
235353
245354
255454
265454
275454
285455
295455
305455
315555

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 3 h 36 min at the start of December to 2 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 11:14 AM to 12:00 PM, and sunset from 2:50 PM to 2:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
13.611:142:50
23.511:182:47
33.411:212:45
43.311:252:42
53.211:282:39
63.111:312:37
73.011:352:34
82.911:382:32
92.811:412:30
102.711:442:28
112.711:472:26
122.611:492:24
132.511:522:22
142.411:542:21
152.411:572:20
162.311:592:18
172.312:002:18
182.212:022:17
192.212:032:17
202.212:042:16
212.212:052:16
222.212:062:17
232.212:062:17
242.212:062:18
252.212:062:19
262.212:062:21
272.312:052:22
282.312:042:24
292.412:032:26
302.412:022:28
312.512:002:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.02 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.02 kWh/m² to a high of 5.21 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
80.0Dim
90.0Dim
100.0Dim
110.0Dim
120.0Dim
130.0Dim
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.0Dim
260.0Dim
270.0Dim
280.0Dim
290.0Dim
300.0Dim
310.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Akureyri?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Akureyri.

What to pack for Akureyri in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Akureyri sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Akureyri in December

The nearest coast averages about 4°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 51 km away) is warmest in August at about 9°C and coldest in March near 3°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

2°4°6°8°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep8Bracing
Oct6Bracing
Nov5Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Akureyri in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Akureyri peaks around June 12 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 3 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 12UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Akureyri?

Akureyri sits at 65.7°N, 18.1°W, in Iceland. The nearest listed city is Reykjavik, 249 km away.

ReykjavikKópavogurHafnarfjörðurVikKeflavikReykjanesbær

Topography around Akureyri

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Akureyri.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Akureyri has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 415 m around an average of 60 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,536 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,526 m.

The land around Akureyri is covered by grassland (36%) and water (32%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) within 16 km, and grassland (30%), bare terrain (28%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
415 m
16 km
1,536 m
80 km
1,526 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Reykjavik 249 km · Kópavogur 251 km · Hafnarfjörður 256 km · Vik 256 km · Keflavik 282 km · Reykjanesbær 282 km · Tórshavn 687 km · Isle of Lewis 1,028 km

Iceland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 118% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$98,323
2025
Happiness
7.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland 59%other or unspecified 19%none 8%Independent Congregation of Reykjavik 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Akureyri (65.6835°, -18.0878°), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).