On average the weather in Iceland is nicer than in both Europe or US in deep winter. PIC Yodod
T here is one question in particular every Icelander receives whenever we meet foreigners: How cold is Iceland? The answer surprises most people.
You are probably asking the same question if a trip to this place is on the agenda. After all, the name is far from inviting for heat-loving individuals and it would be reasonable to conclude that those responsible for naming this island in the beginning had a damn good reason.
The short answer is yes. They had a reason as explained here but this does not hold today as global warming, or just cozy warming according to some idiots, has had quite an effect on the island.
In plain old English you might be surprised to know that Iceland is actually quite warm. Wintertime on average is warmer in Iceland than both the Eastern coast of the U.S and also warmer than Northern Europe. Unless there are heavy winds, which often rage, the weather here is quite lovely for deep winter.
In the lowlands it very seldom goes below zero degrees Celsius. More often it hoovers between 0 and 4 degrees. However, this changes rapidly if you venture high in this country. Temperature at Thingvellir National Park can reach minus 20 in a heartbeat and often present wind chill factor easily turns that into 30 minus.
In summertime, Iceland has fantastic weather in our view. Never so warm you´ll start to sweat but also never too cold for a nice picnic or a camping trip. However, we know many foreigners think the Icelandic summer is rather chilly. The very best summer days can reach 26 degrees Celsius but the average over summer is closer to 13 degrees Celsius.
Quite excellent if you ask us.
