Hafnarfjörður weather in May

In May, Hafnarfjörður sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 90 mm of precipitation across 15.8 wet days and about 17.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 16 h 18 min at the start of May to 19 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hafnarfjörður's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hafnarfjörður's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
90 mm
15.8 wet days
Daylight
17 h 54 min
4:27 AM – 10:21 PM
Cloud cover
79%
8th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Hafnarfjörður is town of Iceland.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 4.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
181/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical May day in Hafnarfjörður reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°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 12°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
183
283
383
483
583
693
793
893
993
1093
1194
1294
1394
1494
15104
16104
17104
18104
19104
20105
21105
22105
23105
24105
25115
26115
27116
28116
29116
30116
31116

How May really feels in Hafnarfjörður

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 11 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
11
wind chill below the day's low

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

Hafnarfjörður weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°12817.811.650.0
Feb / -2°12616.912.17.90.0
Mar / -2°11817.211.411.20.0
Apr / 10116.55.614.60.5
May10° / 9015.80.717.91.7
Jun12° / 7914.20.120.12.8
Jul14° / 8514.5019.23.5
Aug13° / 10415.8016.13.2
Sep11° / 13417.60.212.72.0
Oct / 11614.92.39.30.7
Nov / 11716.36.660.0
Dec / -2°12917.5113.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32080
42080
52080
62080
72080
82080
92080
102080
112080
122080
132080
142179
152179
162179
172080
181981
191882
201882
211882
221783
231783
241783
251585
261585
271585
281585
291585
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Hafnarfjörður gets around 90 mm of rain and snow over 15.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 51% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1539
2528
3528
4527
5516
6516
7505
8504
9494
10493
11493
12492
13482
14482
15491
16491
17491
18491
19501
20501
21511
22511
23521
24521
25521
26521
27521
28521
29511
30510
31510

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May 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 May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 16 h 18 min at the start of May to 19 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 180 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:16 AM to 3:45 AM, and sunset from 9:33 PM to 11:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
116.35:169:33
216.45:139:37
316.55:109:40
416.65:069:43
516.75:039:46
616.85:009:49
716.94:569:52
817.04:539:56
917.24:509:59
1017.34:4610:02
1117.44:4310:05
1217.54:4010:08
1317.64:3710:11
1417.74:3410:14
1517.84:3010:18
1617.94:2710:21
1718.04:2410:24
1818.14:2110:27
1918.24:1810:30
2018.34:1510:33
2118.44:1210:36
2218.54:0910:39
2318.64:0610:42
2418.74:0410:45
2518.84:0110:48
2618.93:5810:51
2719.03:5510:54
2819.13:5310:57
2919.23:5010:59
3019.23:4811:02
3119.33:4511:05

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 4.82 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Hafnarfjörður?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hafnarfjörður.

What to pack for Hafnarfjörður in May

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

In May, Hafnarfjörður sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Hafnarfjörður in May

The nearest coast averages about 7°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 11°C and coldest in March near 5°C.

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

4°6°8°10°12°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug11Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Hafnarfjörður in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hafnarfjörður peaks around June 21 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 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 21UV 4Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Hafnarfjörður?

Hafnarfjörður sits at 64.1°N, 21.9°W, 39 m above sea level, in Iceland. The nearest listed city is Kópavogur, 5.0 km away.

KeflavikReykjanesbærVikAkureyri

Topography around Hafnarfjörður

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hafnarfjörður has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,332 m.

The land around Hafnarfjörður is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and water (36%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and grassland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
614 m
80 km
1,332 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Kópavogur 5.0 km · Reykjavik 8.0 km · Keflavik 31 km · Reykjanesbær 31 km · Vik 161 km · Akureyri 256 km · Tórshavn 796 km · Isle of Lewis 1,053 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 Hafnarfjörður (64.0671°, -21.9377°, elevation 39 m), 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).