Reykjavik weather in October

In October, Reykjavik sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 111 mm of precipitation across 14.8 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of October to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Reykjavik's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Reykjavik's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
111 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:33 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
73%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
0.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical October day in Reykjavik reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 4°C cooler than September and about 3°C warmer than November.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
195
294
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1083
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2452
2552
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

How October really feels in Reykjavik

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 23 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
23
wind chill below the day's low

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

Reykjavik weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in October, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32377
42476
52575
62575
72674
82674
92674
102773
112773
122872
132872
142872
152872
162872
172872
182872
192872
202971
212971
222971
233070
243070
253169
263070
273070
283070
292971
302971
312872

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Reykjavik gets around 111 mm of rain and snow over 14.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 48% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1575
2575
3565
4566
5566
6556
7556
8546
9536
10526
11516
12506
13496
14486
15476
16466
17456
18457
19447
20438
21438
22429
23429
244210
254210
264311
274311
284412
294512
304613
314713

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 15 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of October to 7 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 204 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:47 AM to 9:22 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 5:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:476:46
210.97:506:42
310.87:536:38
410.67:566:35
510.57:596:31
610.48:026:28
710.38:066:24
810.28:096:20
910.18:126:17
1010.08:156:13
119.98:186:10
129.88:216:06
139.68:246:02
149.58:275:59
159.48:305:55
169.38:335:52
179.28:375:48
189.18:405:45
199.08:435:41
208.98:465:38
218.88:495:34
228.68:525:31
238.58:565:27
248.48:595:24
258.39:025:21
268.29:055:17
278.19:095:14
288.09:125:10
297.99:155:07
307.89:185:04
317.69:225:01

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 0.91 kWh/m².

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 — October's 0.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.0Dim
131.0Dim
141.0Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Reykjavik?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Reykjavik.

What to pack for Reykjavik in October

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

In October, Reykjavik sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Reykjavik in October

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in October — 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 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 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
October 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).