Overview

Date: April 2, 2026

Iceland had its warmest year on record in 2025. The national average temperature reached 5.2°C — 1.1°C above the 1991–2020 baseline — and almost every month came in warmer than historical norms. Spring stood out most, earning the title of warmest ever documented. May shattered all previous records, driven by a ten-day heatwave in mid-month that remains the most intense warm spell that month has ever seen in Iceland’s history. Beyond the heat, 2025 was a quiet year atmospherically — calm winds, few storms, and noticeably thin snow cover across the country. The early months were fairly wet, but conditions dried out steadily as the year went on.

The winter of 2024–2025 was largely manageable. December and January ran cold, while February and March brought milder air and little snow. February did have its moment of drama, though — a powerful southerly gale on February 5–6 ranked among the strongest storms in recent memory.

Spring arrived early in every sense. Vegetation pushed ahead of schedule, temperatures in early April were already running high, and then mid-May’s heatwave pushed things further still. Egilsstaðir Airport hit 26.6°C on May 15, a record for that month.

June was a different story. Temperatures dropped back, particularly in northern and northeastern Iceland, where unusually low air pressure brought significant rainfall. July and August swung warm again — July tied for the warmest July ever recorded, matching the heat of July 1933. On July 14, some 70% of weather stations registered 20°C or higher. August pushed things further, with Egilsstaðir Airport reaching 29.8°C on August 16 — the highest August temperature ever recorded in Iceland.

September turned wet, especially across the Eastfjords and Strandir regions, where flooding and landslides caused real problems. October started mild but cooled sharply, and around October 27, Reykjavík received its deepest October snowfall on record — 40 cm.

November was cold and dry, then December swung warm again, ranking as the third warmest December in Iceland’s recorded history. On Christmas Eve, Seyðisfjörður reached 19.8°C — a new record for the date.

Temperature

The 2025 annual average across Iceland was 5.2°C, an unprecedented figure that surpassed the former record set in 2014. Reykjavík averaged 6.1°C, which is 1.0°C above previous averages, while Stykkishólmur came in at 5.7°C — 1.3°C above its long-term norm.

A closer look at individual weather stations tells the wider story:

• Surtsey, off the southern coast, posted the highest annual average at 7.3°C.
• At the other end, Gagnheiði recorded the lowest at -0.1°C.

Every station exceeded both the 1991–2020 average and the prior decade’s average. The biggest anomalies turned up in the northern and northeastern highlands, with Hallormsstaðaháls reporting a 1.4°C deviation. The year’s peak temperature was 29.8°C at Egilsstaðir Airport on August 16; the coldest reading was -25.9°C at Möðrudalur on January 30.

In Reykjavík, the hottest day reached 21.8°C on July 14, while the coldest dipped to -10.9°C in January. Akureyri followed a similar pattern through the year.

The contrast with 2024 was stark — 2025 ran roughly 1.8°C warmer than a year that was itself notably chilly. Four of the five hottest years in Iceland’s records now fall within this century.

Monthly patterns were uneven. January, June, October, and November were the only months that didn’t run warm against historical averages. May was the warmest of its kind on record; December ranked third warmest.

Precipitation

Rainfall in 2025 followed a mixed pattern. Total precipitation came in below the past decade’s average, yet many areas still exceeded the 1991–2020 benchmarks. The first half of the year was wetter; the second half dried out considerably.

Reykjavík recorded annual precipitation of 924.2 mm, slightly above past averages. Stykkishólmur measured 831.8 mm, well above its long-term average. Akureyri came in at 604.2 mm, and Dalatangi at 1598.9 mm — both reflecting more varied trends against historical data.

January was wet across most of the country, southern Iceland in particular. The winter overall was wet in the west and drier in the northeast. April was relatively dry. May was patchy, with some areas recording below-average totals. June brought heavy rain to the north, especially on June 3–4, tied to a significant weather event.

From autumn onward, the dry trend held nationally — with the exception of Reykjavík and parts of southwestern Iceland, which saw above-average precipitation in October. December was mostly dry, though localised storms brought bursts of heavy rain in places.

Snow

Snow cover was well below normal in 2025. Reykjavík recorded complete snow cover for just 32 days — a significant drop from past averages. January produced some heavy snowfalls, but the rest of winter was dry, and the highlands were largely clear of snow by early spring.

A cold snap in early June sent snowfall into the mountains, causing headaches for farmers — though the situation was less severe than the previous year.

October then surprised everyone. Snow accumulated to record levels in Reykjavík by the end of the month, triggering widespread traffic disruptions across the city.

Bright Sunshine

Reykjavík logged 1422.2 sunshine hours for the year — 54 hours above the historical average. Akureyri also had a notably sunny year, exceeding both the ten-year and long-term averages.

Winter months fell below average for sunshine, but spring made up for it convincingly. Summer was brighter in Akureyri than in Reykjavík, where skies ran cloudier. A period of volcanic haze in mid-July affected conditions in parts of the country.

The final months of the year fluctuated, with some stretches of clear skies and others decidedly overcast.

Sea Level Pressure

Average sea level pressure in Reykjavík sat at 1005.2 hPa, broadly in line with historical norms. The highest pressure reading of the year was recorded at Öndundarhorn on December 27.

Wind Speed

It was a quiet year for wind. Speeds ran below average, with particularly calm conditions in January, March, July, and November. The one major exception was the southerly gale in February, which temporarily disrupted transport links before passing.

Taken together, 2025 was a year of contrasts — record warmth sitting alongside record snowfall in October, early drought following a wet winter, and sunshine totals that outpaced long-term norms. It’s a pattern that raises real questions about what Iceland’s climate is becoming.