Kópavogur weather in January

In January, Kópavogur sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 128 mm of precipitation across 17.8 wet days and about 4.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 3 h 48 min at the start of January to 6 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kópavogur's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kópavogur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
128 mm
17.8 wet days
Daylight
4 h 54 min
11:11 AM – 4:03 PM
Cloud cover
78%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kópavogur is city of Iceland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
364/km²
people per km²
Founded
1948

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 2°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kópavogur reaches about 2°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 -3°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-2
22-2
32-2
42-2
52-2
62-2
72-2
82-2
92-2
102-2
112-2
122-2
132-2
142-2
152-2
162-2
172-2
182-2
192-2
202-2
212-2
223-2
233-2
243-2
253-2
263-2
272-2
282-2
292-2
302-2
312-2

How January really feels in Kópavogur

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kópavogur weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°12817.811.64.90.0
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° / 7914.20.120.22.8
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°12917.5113.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22179
32080
42080
52179
62179
72179
82080
91981
101981
111981
122080
132080
141981
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
202080
212080
222080
232179
242179
252179
262080
272080
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kópavogur gets around 128 mm of rain and snow over 17.8 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 58% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15436
25436
35436
45436
55436
65537
75537
85537
95638
105638
115738
125739
135839
145839
155940
165940
176040
186040
196040
206039
216039
226039
236039
246039
256039
266039
276040
286040
296041
306041
316042

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 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 3 h 48 min at the start of January to 6 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 156 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 11:37 AM to 10:30 AM, and sunset from 3:25 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
13.811:373:25
23.911:363:27
33.911:353:29
44.011:333:31
54.011:323:33
64.111:303:36
74.211:293:38
84.211:273:41
94.311:253:43
104.411:243:46
114.411:223:49
124.511:203:51
134.611:183:54
144.711:153:57
154.811:134:00
164.911:114:03
175.011:084:06
185.111:064:09
195.111:044:12
205.211:014:16
215.310:584:19
225.410:564:22
235.510:534:25
245.610:504:28
255.710:484:32
265.810:454:35
275.910:424:38
286.010:394:42
296.110:364:45
306.310:334:48
316.410:304:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.15 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 — January's 0.15 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kópavogur?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kópavogur.

What to pack for Kópavogur in January

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

In January, Kópavogur sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kópavogur in January

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in January — 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 Kópavogur 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 Kópavogur 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 Kópavogur?

Kópavogur sits at 64.1°N, 21.9°W, 37 m above sea level, in Iceland. The nearest listed city is Reykjavik, 3.0 km away.

KeflavikReykjanesbærVikAkureyri

Topography around Kópavogur

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kópavogur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 849 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,332 m.

The land around Kópavogur is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), grassland (28%) and water (22%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and water (43%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
849 m
80 km
1,332 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Reykjavik 3.0 km · Hafnarfjörður 5.0 km · Keflavik 34 km · Reykjanesbær 34 km · Vik 162 km · Akureyri 251 km · Tórshavn 796 km · Isle of Lewis 1,055 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 Kópavogur (64.1123°, -21.913°, elevation 37 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).