Vik weather in January

In January, Vik sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 289 mm of precipitation across 22 wet days and about 5.2 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 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 12 min at the start of January to 6 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Vik's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vik's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
289 mm
22 wet days
Daylight
5 h 12 min
10:50 AM – 4:01 PM
Cloud cover
79%
10th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Vik is human settlement in Iceland.

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 Vik reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 6°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)
12-1
22-1
32-1
42-1
52-1
62-1
72-1
82-1
92-1
102-1
112-1
122-1
132-1
142-1
152-1
162-1
172-1
182-1
192-1
202-1
212-1
222-1
232-1
242-1
252-1
262-1
272-1
282-1
292-1
302-1
312-1

How January really feels in Vik

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.

Vik weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January 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 / -1°2892219.95.20.0
Feb / -1°27820.1188.10.0
Mar / -1°26321.219.311.20.0
Apr / 20118.91514.50.0
May / 14316.78.817.70.1
Jun / 12414.81.919.81.0
Jul / 13816.80.118.91.5
Aug / 17916.70.115.91.6
Sep / 27320.4412.70.8
Oct / 28520.110.79.40.1
Nov / 27019.415.46.30.0
Dec / -1°30621.918.94.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42080
51981
61981
71981
81882
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151882
161882
171783
181783
191783
201882
211882
221882
231981
241981
251981
261981
272080
282080
292080
302179
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Vik gets around 289 mm of rain and snow over 22 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 71% and peaks near 76% on the wettest days, and about 20 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16558
26558
36659
46760
56761
66862
76963
87064
97165
107267
117368
127469
137570
147570
157571
167671
177671
187570
197570
207569
217468
227467
237366
247265
257264
267163
277163
287063
297062
307062
317062

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 23 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 12 min at the start of January to 6 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 144 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 11:13 AM to 10:13 AM, and sunset from 3:25 PM to 4:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.211:133:25
24.211:123:27
34.311:113:29
44.311:103:31
54.411:093:33
64.511:083:35
74.511:063:37
84.611:053:40
94.611:033:42
104.711:023:45
114.811:003:47
124.910:583:50
134.910:563:52
145.010:543:55
155.110:523:58
165.210:504:01
175.310:484:03
185.310:464:06
195.410:434:09
205.510:414:12
215.610:394:15
225.710:364:18
235.810:344:21
245.910:314:24
256.010:294:27
266.110:264:30
276.210:234:34
286.310:214:37
296.410:184:40
306.510:154:43
316.610:134:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.07 kWh/m² to a high of 5.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.17 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
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.2Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Vik?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Vik.

What to pack for Vik in January

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

In January, Vik sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 22 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Vik in January

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 12°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

6°8°10°12°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Vik 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 Vik peaks around June 19 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 19UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Vik?

Vik sits at 63.4°N, 19.0°W, 0 m above sea level, in Iceland. The nearest listed city is Hafnarfjörður, 161 km away.

HafnarfjörðurKópavogurReykjavikReykjanesbærKeflavikAkureyri

Topography around Vik

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vik has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 m around an average of 96 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,219 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,623 m.

The land around Vik is covered by grassland (45%) and water (31%) within 3 km, water (47%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and water (42%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
492 m
16 km
1,219 m
80 km
1,623 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Hafnarfjörður 161 km · Kópavogur 162 km · Reykjavik 163 km · Reykjanesbær 186 km · Keflavik 187 km · Akureyri 256 km · Tórshavn 642 km · Isle of Lewis 893 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 Vik (63.4194°, -19.0097°, elevation 0 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).