Akureyri weather in March

In March, Akureyri sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 97 mm of precipitation across 16.9 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of March to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Akureyri's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Akureyri's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
9th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
4th coldest
Precipitation
97 mm
16.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
7:48 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
81%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.02 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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 0°C by the end.

A typical March 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 -6°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 3°C cooler than April.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-6
2-2-6
3-2-6
4-2-6
5-2-6
6-2-6
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
17-1-5
18-1-5
19-1-5
200-5
210-5
220-5
230-5
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-5
280-5
290-5
300-5
310-5

How March really feels in Akureyri

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

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

Akureyri weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 6th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21585
31585
41585
51684
61684
71684
81684
91585
101585
111684
121684
131783
141783
151882
161882
171882
181981
191981
201981
212080
221981
231981
241981
251981
261981
272080
282080
291981
301981
311981

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Akureyri gets around 97 mm of rain and snow over 16.9 wet days in March. 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 56% on the wettest days, and about 18 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15658
25657
35657
45657
55658
65658
75658
85658
95659
105659
115659
125659
135558
145558
155558
165457
175457
185457
195456
205356
215356
225355
235355
245355
255355
265355
275355
285455
295456
305456
315556

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March 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 March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of March to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 216 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 8:45 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 7:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.38:456:06
29.58:426:09
39.68:386:13
49.78:346:16
59.88:306:19
69.98:266:23
710.18:236:26
810.28:196:30
910.38:156:33
1010.48:116:36
1110.58:076:40
1210.78:036:43
1310.87:596:46
1410.97:566:50
1511.07:526:53
1611.17:486:56
1711.37:446:59
1811.47:407:03
1911.57:367:06
2011.67:327:09
2111.77:297:12
2211.97:257:16
2312.07:217:19
2412.17:177:22
2512.27:137:25
2612.37:097:29
2712.47:057:32
2812.67:017:35
2912.76:577:39
3012.86:547:42
3112.96:507:45

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 2.02 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 — March's 2.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
162.0Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Akureyri?

Our two travel scores rate March 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

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Akureyri.

What to pack for Akureyri in March

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

In March, 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 March

The nearest coast averages about 3°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 1. 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
March 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).