Akureyri weather in January

In January, Akureyri sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 115 mm of precipitation across 17.2 wet days and about 4.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-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 January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 2 h 36 min at the start of January to 5 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Akureyri's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Akureyri's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
115 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
4 hours
11:20 AM – 3:23 PM
Cloud cover
85%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.1 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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January 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, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-6
2-2-6
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
20-1-6
21-1-6
22-1-6
23-1-6
24-1-6
25-1-6
26-1-6
27-1-6
28-1-6
29-1-6
30-1-6
31-1-7

How January really feels in Akureyri

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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
13 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Akureyri weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 4th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41288
51288
61288
71288
81090
91090
101189
111090
121090
131189
141189
151189
161189
171189
181189
191189
201288
211387
221387
231387
241387
251486
261486
271486
281585
291585
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Akureyri gets around 115 mm of rain and snow over 17.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 56% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 17 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15556
25556
35656
45657
55657
65757
75758
85858
95858
105859
115959
125959
135859
145859
155858
165758
175757
185657
195656
205555
215555
225454
235454
245453
255453
265453
275452
285452
295352
305352
315351

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 8 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 2 h 36 min at the start of January to 5 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 192 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 11:58 AM to 10:31 AM, and sunset from 2:33 PM to 4:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
12.611:582:33
22.711:562:36
32.711:542:38
42.811:522:41
52.911:502:44
63.011:482:48
73.111:452:51
83.211:432:54
93.311:402:58
103.411:383:01
113.511:353:05
123.611:323:08
133.711:293:12
143.811:263:16
153.911:233:19
164.011:203:23
174.211:173:27
184.311:143:31
194.411:113:34
204.511:083:38
214.611:053:42
224.711:013:46
234.910:583:50
245.010:553:54
255.110:513:57
265.210:484:01
275.310:454:05
285.510:414:09
295.610:384:13
305.710:344:17
315.810:314:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.1 kWh/m².

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 — January's 0.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.0Dim
20.0Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
80.0Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.1Dim
190.1Dim
200.1Dim
210.1Dim
220.1Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.2Dim
280.2Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Akureyri?

Our two travel scores rate January 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

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Akureyri.

What to pack for Akureyri in January

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

In January, 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 January

The nearest coast averages about 4°C in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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
January 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).