How is the weather in Iceland ? When is the best weather or when is the best time to visit ? These are questions I frequently get from travelers interested in Iceland. To be honest with you, living in Iceland is tricky and to answer these questions is almost impossible to be honest.
Iceland is a land of ice and fire (literally) and the weather can change very rapidly. Our island is located just south of the Arctic circle and temperature is cool in the summer and almost mild in winter. If you don´t believe me this is what the Icelandic met office says.
"Iceland enjoys a much milder climate than its name and location adjacent to the Arctic circle would imply. A branch of the Gulf Stream flows along the southern and the western coast greatly moderating the climate. However, this brings mild Atlantic air in contact with colder Arctic air resulting in a climate that is marked by frequent changes in weather and storminess".
In short, one can easily encounter between 4 - 5 seasons all in the same day. That is super cool and Iceland can be beautiful in all its crazy seasons, even when it´s cloudy and/or foggy. We do even sometimes have the sun shining upon us too :)
If you want to visit Iceland the best advice I can give you is to pick your favourite season, book the flight and just jump over without thinking too much about the weather.
Most importantly bring outdoor clothing for all 4 seasons, sturdy shoes (not only your Converse shoes) and last but not least plenty of socks because your feet are going to get wet either way.
If you are into photography we all know that rain can be an enemy and if the rain is out don´t panic just keep calm and carry on driving or park your car and wait because at some point the rain will stop (most often) and you will find some great location with great light and even a beautiful rainbow.
Always put your alarm on early to check for sunrise, stay outside until sunset and in winter time you might also be awarded with the overwhelming aurora borealis in the night.
These photographs I shot recently on a photo-tour exactly in conditions like I just described. We experienced heavy rain and fog, wind and sun and sometimes all this in one hour. All the photos are shot right after heavy rainstorm so you see if you show patience you will be awarded in the end.
Iceland is constantly surprising one and you never know what next day or even next hour will bring. We even have an ongoing eruption right now so if you are not sure when to visit the time could be now.
If you want to experience Iceland yourself its easy to drive the ring road for example.
For car rentals you can press HERE
Great self drive tours you can find in the links below:
My name is Jorunn and I live in Reykjavik. I have great passion for photography and travelling. Icelandic nature is a big inspiration for me. The light and the unique landscape is phenomenal and gives one endless opportunities for photography. I specialise in landscape photography but have also been doing portraits and macro work. I love to share my experience with others and advice people that are planning a visit to Iceland. I have experience doing photo day tours with small group of people to places as Snæfellsnes peninsula, Reykjanes peninsula, the south coast of Iceland and the Golden circle. Im also willing to offer you a tailor made tour of your choice. If you want some great tips about travelling or photographing in those areas or join me on a photo tour please send me a line.
