Reykjavik in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Reykjavik sees average daytime highs around 6°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 287 mm of precipitation over about 47 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 2°C in early March to 11°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Reykjavik's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Reykjavik's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 6°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 1°C
- Precipitation
- 287 mm
- 47 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.7
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Reykjavik in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 2°C in early March to 11°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Reykjavik reaches about 6°C and drops to 1°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Reykjavik
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 71 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Reykjavik weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2° / -3° | 124 | 17.9 | 12.1 | 4.9 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 2° / -3° | 122 | 16.6 | 12.1 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 3° / -2° | 114 | 16.9 | 11.7 | 11.2 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 6° / 1° | 90 | 15.3 | 5.3 | 14.6 | 0.4 |
| May | 9° / 4° | 83 | 14.8 | 0.5 | 17.9 | 1.7 |
| Jun | 12° / 8° | 69 | 12.8 | 0.1 | 20.2 | 2.9 |
| Jul | 14° / 9° | 76 | 13.3 | 0 | 19.2 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 13° / 9° | 93 | 14.9 | 0 | 16.1 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 11° / 6° | 126 | 16.8 | 0.3 | 12.7 | 2.0 |
| Oct | 7° / 3° | 111 | 14.8 | 2.5 | 9.3 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 4° / -0° | 113 | 15.5 | 6.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 2° / -2° | 124 | 16.6 | 11.2 | 3.8 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Reykjavik gets around 287 mm of rain and snow over 47 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 15 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early March to 19 h 24 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 3.3 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Reykjavik?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Reykjavik.
What to pack for Reykjavik in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Reykjavik sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 47 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Reykjavik in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 6°C across spring — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Bracing |
| Feb | 5 | Bracing |
| Mar | 5 | Bracing |
| Apr | 6 | Bracing |
| May | 7 | Bracing |
| Jun | 10 | Bracing |
| Jul | 11 | Bracing |
| Aug | 11 | Bracing |
| Sep | 10 | Bracing |
| Oct | 8 | Bracing |
| Nov | 7 | Bracing |
| Dec | 6 | Bracing |
UV index in Reykjavik in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 2. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 0 | Low |
| Mar | 1 | Low |
| Apr | 2 | Moderate |
| May | 4 | Moderate |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 2 | Low |
| Oct | 1 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
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.
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.
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
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.