Reykjavik weather in December

In December, Reykjavik sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 124 mm of precipitation across 16.6 wet days and about 3.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-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 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 30 min at the start of December to 3 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Reykjavik's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Reykjavik's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
124 mm
16.6 wet days
Daylight
3 h 36 min
11:35 AM – 3:13 PM
Cloud cover
78%
7th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Reykjavik is capital and largest city in Iceland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.8 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
487/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month.

A typical December day in Reykjavik reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-2
23-2
33-2
43-2
53-2
63-2
73-2
83-2
92-2
102-2
112-2
122-2
132-2
142-2
152-2
162-2
172-2
182-2
192-2
202-3
212-3
222-3
232-3
242-3
252-3
262-3
272-3
282-3
292-3
302-3
312-3

How December really feels in Reykjavik

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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 December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Reykjavik weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°12417.912.14.90.0
Feb / -3°12216.612.17.90.0
Mar / -2°11416.911.711.20.0
Apr / 9015.35.314.60.4
May / 8314.80.517.91.7
Jun12° / 6912.80.120.22.9
Jul14° / 7613.3019.23.6
Aug13° / 9314.9016.13.2
Sep11° / 12616.80.312.72.0
Oct / 11114.82.59.30.6
Nov / -0°11315.56.760.0
Dec / -2°12416.611.23.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22179
32179
42080
52080
61981
71981
81981
91981
101882
111882
121882
131981
141981
151981
161981
172080
182080
192080
202080
212080
222179
232080
242080
252179
262179
272179
282179
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Reykjavik gets around 124 mm of rain and snow over 16.6 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 53% and peaks near 56% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15534
25535
35635
45636
55636
65536
75535
85535
95435
105435
115435
125435
135335
145335
155335
165335
175235
185235
195235
205236
215236
225236
235237
245237
255337
265337
275337
285337
295336
305336
315336

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December 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 December

Winds average 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 30 min at the start of December to 3 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 11:02 AM to 11:38 AM, and sunset from 3:33 PM to 3:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.511:023:33
24.411:053:31
34.411:073:29
44.311:103:27
54.211:133:25
64.111:153:23
74.111:183:22
84.011:203:20
93.911:223:19
103.911:243:18
113.811:263:17
123.811:283:16
133.711:303:15
143.711:323:14
153.711:333:13
163.611:353:13
173.611:363:12
183.611:373:12
193.611:383:12
203.611:393:12
213.511:403:12
223.511:403:13
233.511:413:13
243.611:413:14
253.611:413:15
263.611:413:16
273.611:413:17
283.611:403:18
293.711:403:20
303.711:393:21
313.711:383:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.05 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.05 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.05 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
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.0Dim
260.0Dim
270.0Dim
280.0Dim
290.1Dim
300.1Dim
310.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Reykjavik?

Our two travel scores rate December 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

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Reykjavik.

What to pack for Reykjavik in December

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

In December, Reykjavik sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -2°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 Reykjavik in December

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in December — 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 Reykjavik in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Reykjavik 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 Reykjavik?

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

KeflavikReykjanesbærVikAkureyri

Topography around Reykjavik

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Reykjavik has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 77 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 867 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,335 m.

The land around Reykjavik is covered by artificial surfaces (37%) and water (25%) within 3 km, water (45%) and grassland (43%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
77 m
16 km
867 m
80 km
1,335 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Kópavogur 3.0 km · Hafnarfjörður 8.0 km · Keflavik 36 km · Reykjanesbær 36 km · Vik 163 km · Akureyri 249 km · Tórshavn 795 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 Reykjavik (64.1355°, -21.8954°, 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).