Reykjanesbær weather in January

In January, Reykjanesbær sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 125 mm of precipitation across 18.8 wet days and about 5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 3 h 54 min at the start of January to 6 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Reykjanesbær's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Reykjanesbær's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
125 mm
18.8 wet days
Daylight
4 h 54 min
11:12 AM – 4:07 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
26 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Reykjanesbær reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°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)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

How January really feels in Reykjanesbær

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.

Reykjanesbær weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12518.89.750.0
Feb / -0°12317.410.480.0
Mar / 11317.69.311.20.0
Apr / 9115.43.414.60.3
May / 7913.90.517.81.2
Jun11° / 6712.8020.12.3
Jul12° / 10°7412.8019.13.0
Aug12° / 10°9714.20162.8
Sep10° / 13417.2012.71.8
Oct / 12015.41.69.30.8
Nov / 12417.24.96.10.0
Dec / 12918.69.13.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42179
52179
62080
72080
81981
91981
101981
111981
122080
132080
142179
152080
162080
172080
182080
192080
202080
212179
222278
232179
242179
252179
262278
272278
282179
292179
302179
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Reykjanesbær gets around 125 mm of rain and snow over 18.8 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 61% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15731
25731
35731
45831
55832
65932
75932
86032
96033
106133
116133
126234
136234
146334
156334
166333
176433
186433
196432
206332
216332
226332
236231
246231
256231
266232
276232
286233
296234
306234
316235

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 26 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 26 km/h on the calmest days to 27 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
126breezy
226breezy
326breezy
426breezy
526breezy
626breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1627breezy
1727breezy
1827breezy
1927breezy
2027breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2727breezy
2827breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 3 h 54 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 150 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 11:37 AM to 10:32 AM, and sunset from 3:30 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
13.911:373:30
23.911:363:31
34.011:353:33
44.011:343:36
54.111:333:38
64.211:313:40
74.211:303:43
84.311:283:45
94.411:263:48
104.411:243:50
114.511:223:53
124.611:203:56
134.711:183:58
144.811:164:01
154.811:144:04
164.911:124:07
175.011:104:10
185.111:074:13
195.211:054:16
205.311:024:20
215.411:004:23
225.510:574:26
235.610:544:29
245.710:524:32
255.810:494:36
265.910:464:39
276.010:434:42
286.110:414:45
296.210:384:49
306.310:354:52
316.410:324:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.38 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.14 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
180.1Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Reykjanesbær?

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 Reykjanesbær.

What to pack for Reykjanesbær in January

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

In January, Reykjanesbær sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Reykjanesbær in January

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 11°C and coldest in March near 6°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
Jan6Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug11Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Reykjanesbær 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 Reykjanesbær 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
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Reykjanesbær?

Reykjanesbær sits at 64.0°N, 22.6°W, 13 m above sea level, in Iceland. The nearest listed city is Keflavik, 1.0 km away.

HafnarfjörðurKópavogurReykjavikVikAkureyri

Topography around Reykjanesbær

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Reykjanesbær has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,065 m.

The land around Reykjanesbær is covered by grassland (45%) and water (35%) within 3 km, water (54%) and grassland (38%) within 16 km, and water (67%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
213 m
80 km
1,065 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Keflavik 1.0 km · Hafnarfjörður 31 km · Kópavogur 34 km · Reykjavik 36 km · Vik 186 km · Akureyri 282 km · Tórshavn 825 km · Isle of Lewis 1,076 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 Reykjanesbær (63.9981°, -22.5611°, elevation 13 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).