Akureyri weather in October

In October, Akureyri sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 142 mm of precipitation across 18.5 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of October to 7 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Akureyri's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Akureyri's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
7th coldest
Precipitation
142 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
8:24 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
85%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
0.81 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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical October day in Akureyri reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -2°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 5°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
250
350
450
550
650
740
840
94-1
104-1
114-1
124-1
133-1
143-1
153-2
163-2
173-2
182-2
192-2
202-2
212-2
222-3
232-3
242-3
251-3
261-3
271-3
281-3
291-3
301-3
311-4

How October really feels in Akureyri

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Akureyri weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31882
41783
51783
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111783
121783
131783
141783
151684
161585
171585
181585
191387
201387
211189
221189
231090
241090
25991
26991
27991
28892
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Akureyri gets around 142 mm of rain and snow over 18.5 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 60% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 15 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15934
25936
36037
46038
56039
65939
75940
85840
95740
105740
115641
125541
135542
145542
155543
165644
175645
185746
195748
205849
215951
226052
236154
246255
256456
266558
276558
286659
296659
306659
316559

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 7 km/h in October.

Across October, 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 October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of October to 7 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 216 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:34 AM to 9:17 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 4:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:346:28
210.87:386:24
310.77:416:20
410.57:446:17
510.47:476:13
610.37:516:09
710.27:546:05
810.17:576:01
99.98:015:57
109.88:045:53
119.78:075:50
129.68:115:46
139.58:145:42
149.38:185:38
159.28:215:34
169.18:245:30
179.08:285:27
188.98:315:23
198.78:355:19
208.68:385:15
218.58:425:11
228.48:455:08
238.38:495:04
248.18:525:00
258.08:564:57
267.98:594:53
277.89:034:49
287.69:074:45
297.59:104:42
307.49:144:38
317.39:174:34

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 0.81 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 — October's 0.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.0Dim
101.0Dim
111.0Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Akureyri?

Our two travel scores rate October 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

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Akureyri.

What to pack for Akureyri in October

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

In October, Akureyri sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Akureyri in October

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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
October 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).