Ask a local about the weather in Iceland and you will hear about the wind before the rain or the cold. Wind is what shapes a trip to Iceland. The windiest month in Iceland is the one in which roads close and tours are canceled most often, and the least windy month is when self-drive tours and car rentals run with the fewest weather holds.
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Guide to Iceland analyzed monthly mean wind speeds from 2000 to 2025 at seven Icelandic Met Office stations spread around the country: Reykjavik and Keflavik in the southwest, Stykkisholmur in the west, Akureyri in the north, Grimsstadir in the northeast highlands, Dalatangi in the east, and Vatnsskardsholar on the South Coast near Vik.
We added Storhofdi in the Westman Islands for 2000 to 2013, the years its published record covers. We then counted storm days and calm days from daily wind data for those same nine places.
The data gives a clear answer. February is the windiest month in Iceland, and July is the least windy. The gap between the two is 31 percent on the national average, and the gap in storm days is far wider than that.
Key Findings
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February is the windiest month in Iceland. Averaged across seven Met Office stations from 2000 to 2025, February winds run at 14.3 mph (23 km/h), just ahead of January at 13.9 mph (22 km/h). Every month from November to March stays above 13 mph (21 km/h).
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July is the least windy month in Iceland. The national average falls to 9.8 mph (15.8 km/h), 31% below February, with August close behind at 10 mph (16.1 km/h).
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Storm days almost disappear in an Icelandic summer. In February, Vik and the Westman Islands each average about five days with gusts of 56 mph (90 km/h) or more, and Reykjavik and Keflavik two to three. In July, every location in the study rounds to zero.
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Storhofdi in the Westman Islands is the windiest place in Iceland. It averages 24 mph (39 km/h) across the year and 29 mph (47 km/h) in February. Even in July, its calmest month, it is windier at 17 mph (27 km/h) than Reykjavik is in February at 11 mph (18 km/h).
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Akureyri is the calm exception in Iceland. Sheltered by the long fjord of Eyjafjordur, it averages 6 to 7 mph (10 to 12 km/h) in every month of the year, and its windiest month is May.
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Calm days in Iceland are a summer feature. In July, the wind in Reykjavik stays below 18 mph (29 km/h) on 29 of 31 days. In February, that falls to 18 days in Reykjavik and 10 days at Keflavik.
Cite This Article
Please link to this URL when referencing the findings or using the charts.
February Is the Windiest Month in Iceland
February is the windiest month in Iceland on the national average. Across the seven Met Office stations from 2000 to 2025, February winds ran at 14.3 mph (23 km/h), narrowly ahead of January at 13.9 mph (22 km/h).
March and December follow close behind at about 13.5 mph (22 km/h). Every month from November to March averages above 13 mph (21 km/h). That is why most of the advice about winter driving in Iceland is really about the wind.
Monthly averages undersell what a windy February in Iceland feels like, because the average includes the calm days. The difference shows up in the storms.
On the south coast, February brings around five days with gusts of 56 mph (90 km/h) or more, the level at which car doors bend and roads close. The same month in Reykjavik and Keflavik brings two to three such days.
Driving in Iceland in February is a daily judgment call rather than a fixed plan. Roads on the South Coast and around Keflavik can close at short notice, and rental companies charge for wind damage to doors. The forecast each morning decides the route.
If you would rather not drive in those conditions, guided multi-day tours in Iceland hand the wind problem to a professional driver. Guide to Iceland monitors weather advisories for every departure.
July Is the Least Windy Month in Iceland
July is the least windy month in Iceland, at 9.8 mph (15.8 km/h) on the national average. August is right behind at 10 mph (16.1 km/h).
July is 31 percent calmer than February, and the storm statistics fall even further. Days with damaging gusts drop to essentially zero at every location in the study.
Calm days put the seasonal gap in plain numbers. In July, the wind in Reykjavik never tops 18 mph (29 km/h) on 29 out of 31 days. In February, that falls to 18 days, and on the exposed Reykjanes Peninsula around Keflavik, it falls to 10.
The calm reaches every corner of the country in summer. Vik counts 26 calm days in July against 10 in February, Keflavik 24 against 10, and even Storhofdi in the Westman Islands manages 20 against 7.
Those calm summer days are what make camping and a camper van rental in Iceland pleasant rather than an endurance test. July and August are also the calmest months for hiking, when exposed ridges and highland trails are least likely to be closed by wind.
August matches July on calm days. Reykjavik records 28 in August against 29 in July, and storm-gust days stay close to zero everywhere.
The calm season runs from June to August, and September is when it ends. The national average climbs to 11.8 mph (19 km/h), and the south coast sees its first storm-gust day of the autumn.
Storhofdi in the Westman Islands Is the Windiest Place in Iceland
Storhofdi, the headland at the southern tip of Heimaey in the Westman Islands, is the windiest weather station in Iceland. The Icelandic Met Office has taken observations in Storhofdi since 1921 and notes that storms there are frequent and severe.
Storhofdi's record from 2000 to 2013 averages 24 mph (39 km/h) across the year and peaks at 29 mph (47 km/h) in February. In July, its calmest month, it still averages 17 mph (27 km/h). That is windier than Reykjavik in February.
The raw Atlantic exposure is part of what makes a visit to the Westman Islands memorable. It is also why the ferry and the small planes that serve the island run to the weather rather than the clock.
On the mainland, the South Coast is the windiest region in Iceland. Vatnsskardsholar, the station between Vik and Dyrholaey, averages 18.7 mph (30 km/h) in February, and Keflavik Airport 18.1 mph (29 km/h).
The coast between Keflavik and Vik is where rental cars lose doors to gusts, so take wind warnings around Reynisfjara and Vik seriously.
The east coast is windier than its reputation. Dalatangi, on the outermost point of the Eastfjords, averages 13.5 to 14.7 mph (22 to 24 km/h) from November to March.
Dalatangi also counts almost as many storm-gust days as the South Coast, about four in an average December or February. The difference is that far fewer visitors are driving there in winter to notice.
Akureyri Is the Calmest Place in Iceland All Year
Akureyri is the calmest weather station in Iceland in every month of the year. Sheltered at the head of the long fjord of Eyjafjordur, it averages between 6 and 7 mph (10 and 12 km/h) all year round. Its windiest month is May, at 7.5 mph (12 km/h), and its calmest is October, at 6.2 mph (10 km/h).
The seasonal swing that defines the rest of Iceland barely registers in Akureyri. February in the town is calmer than July in Reykjavik, and an average February brings less than one storm-gust day. The daily data counts 28 to 31 calm days in every month.
The shelter belongs to the fjord, not to North Iceland as a whole. Grimsstadir, on the highland plateau east of Myvatn, averages 15.8 mph (25 km/h) in February, more than double the town's figure.
The calm is real, but it ends where the fjord does. Once you drive out of Eyjafjordur toward Myvatn or the coast, you are back in the open country where the rest of the north's weather is made.
For a winter visitor, that makes Akureyri the most comfortable place in Iceland to stand outside at night. Waiting an hour for the northern lights in a 7 mph (11 km/h) breeze is a different experience from waiting in the 18 mph (29 km/h) that is normal on the South Coast in February.
Calm is not the same as clear skies, though. Our study of the best regions for northern lights in Iceland found Akureyri among the cloudier aurora bases, with the inland northeast around Myvatn clearer. A northern lights trip in the north is a trade between the shelter of the fjord and the skies beyond it.
Iceland's South Coast Gets Five Storm Days in February and None in July
A storm-gust day in this study is a day with gusts of 56 mph (90 km/h) or more. That is the level at which exposed roads close and cars start losing doors, so it is the count that matters most for a road trip.
Vik and the Westman Islands lead the country with about five storm-gust days in an average February. Dalatangi in the east follows with four, Keflavik with three, and Reykjavik and Stykkisholmur with two to three.
Grimsstadir in the highlands gets between one and two, Isafjordur in the Westfjords about one, and Akureyri a little under one.
In July, every location rounds to zero. Across the 26 years, Reykjavik and Akureyri never recorded a July storm-gust day. Vik saw one in four of those years, the Westman Islands in one, and Keflavik in one.
The shoulder months sit in between. April brings roughly one storm-gust day on the South Coast, and October about two. Over a full year, Vik counts around 27 storm-gust days, the Westman Islands and Dalatangi around 22, Reykjavik and Keflavik 13 to 14, Isafjordur about six, and Akureyri fewer than four.
That gradient is why winter road trips in Iceland need buffer days. A winter self-drive tour along the South Coast with daily exposed coastal stops will, on average, lose one day in a February week to wind. Our study of how many days you need in Iceland recommends more days for winter road trips than summer ones for exactly this reason.
Driving in Iceland's Wind Is Safe With the Right Car and the Forecast
Driving in Iceland's wind is safe with planning, which is simpler than it sounds. The Icelandic Road Administration publishes live wind readings from roadside stations, the Icelandic Met Office issues color-coded wind warnings by region, and SafeTravel collects both in one place. Checking all three each morning is the whole routine.
One thing to know before you read them: Icelandic forecasts and roadside signs give wind in meters per second, not mph or km/h. A quick rule of thumb is to double the number for mph, or multiply it by 3.6 for km/h. So a forecast of 15 m/s is about 34 mph (54 km/h), and a gust warning of 25 m/s is about 56 mph (90 km/h).
The working thresholds are simple. Sustained winds above 34 mph (15 m/s) are difficult for high-sided vehicles such as motorhomes and camper vans. Gusts of 45 to 56 mph (20 to 25 m/s) can move any car on the road, and at that level, exposed stretches of the South Coast and the Reykjanes Peninsula are often closed.
The most common wind mishap in Iceland happens with the car parked. A gust catching an open door can bend it back against the hinge, and this damage is usually excluded from standard rental insurance. Park facing into the wind where you can, open the door with both hands, and never let go of it until it is shut.
For winter driving, choose a 4x4 or SUV, which sits heavier on the road than a small car and copes better with side gusts and drifting snow. When driving in Iceland between November and March, treat the morning forecast as the thing that decides the day.
July Is the Month To Pick if You Hate Wind in Iceland
July is the month to pick if wind is the part of Iceland's weather you most want to avoid. It has the lowest national average, the most calm days, and no storm-gust days worth counting.
August gives you the same calm, and June is a close third at 10.8 mph (17 km/h), with the midnight sun as its reward.
May is the compromise month. It is windier than July on paper, at 12 mph (19 km/h) against 9.8 mph (15.8 km/h). But our study of the sunniest month in Iceland found that May has the clearest skies of the year in Reykjavik. If you can accept a little more wind for a lot more sun, May is the better trade.
For winter visitors chasing the northern lights, wind is the price of the season, and there is no month between November and March that avoids it. The practical answer is to let someone else deal with it.
Northern lights tours in Iceland run on the night's forecast rather than a fixed plan. Most tours let you rebook for free if the night is called off for weather, which beats a self-drive hunt in a February gale.
If your dates are flexible, this wind study and our northern lights study can be read together. Our study of the best month to see the northern lights in Iceland ranks the months from September to April on solar activity. This wind study ranks the same months on wind.
On wind alone, the calmest months of the northern lights season are the two at either end. September averages 11.8 mph (19 km/h) and October 12.2 mph (20 km/h), before the winter storm season sets in. April averages 12.8 mph (21 km/h) as the season ends.
What This Iceland Wind Study Does Not Tell You
This study ranks the months and regions of Iceland by wind, using 26 years of station records and daily model data. Here is what it can and cannot support.
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These are averages, not forecasts. A 26-year mean tells you what a typical February or July is like, not what yours will be. Calm Februaries happen, and so do July storms (Vik had at least one July storm-gust day in four of the 26 years). Use the study to choose a month and the forecast to plan a day.
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The day counts come from a weather model, not from instruments. The monthly speeds are measured at Met Office stations, but the storm-day and calm-day counts come from a model that estimates conditions across grid cells several miles wide, which smooths out headlands and fjords. At Storhofdi, the model's February mean is 16 mph (26 km/h) against a measured 29 mph (47 km/h). The counts are sound for comparing months and regions, not as exact values for one spot.
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Nine locations do not cover the whole country. The interior Highlands of Iceland, the tip of Snaefellsnes, the outer Westfjords, and the northeastern headlands have no long-running station in this study. The Met Office's wind resource mapping names several of those headlands as the windiest lowland areas in Iceland, so the true windiest place is probably not on our list.
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A station reading is not the wind at the roadside. Stations measure wind 33 feet (10 meters) above open ground. A car on a bridge, a cliff-top parking lot, or a mountain pass can meet gusts well above what the nearest station reports. This is why the roadside sensors are the numbers to trust while driving.
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The study does not tell you when a road will close. Closures are decided on the day from live readings and the forecast, and wind direction matters as much as speed. A monthly average of storm days tells you how many buffer days to plan, not which days they will be.
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Wind is one part of the weather. This study says nothing about rain, temperature, snow, or daylight. It also does not measure wind chill, which is what a windy day feels like on your skin. The companion studies on the rainiest, warmest, and sunniest months cover those.
Planning Your Iceland Trip Around the Wind
The findings above come down to three choices: which month you come, how you get around, and how many spare days you build in. Here is how they apply to the main ways of booking a trip to Iceland.
For a summer trip, the wind data barely constrains you. June, July, and August are calm enough everywhere in the study that summer packages in Iceland can keep to a fixed itinerary from the first day to the last. Travelers embarking on summer self-drive tours can plan a coastal day for every date without needing a spare one.
The two places that stay brisk even in July are the Reykjanes Peninsula and the South Coast. If you would rather not drive them yourself, Reykjanes tours and day trips along the South Coast cover both from Reykjavik with a driver who knows where the gusts come through.
For a winter trip, the data makes a clear case for letting someone else drive. The case is strongest for first-time visitors and for anyone who has not driven in winter conditions before.
Guided multi-day tours in Iceland run to the same weather rules you would face yourself, but with a driver who reads Icelandic forecasts for a living and an operator who reshapes the day when a road closes. Many of the winter departures are built around the northern lights, so the hunt is part of the itinerary rather than something you add after a long day of driving.
Travelers who prefer to explore on their own can still book winter self-drive tours in Iceland. Choose a 4x4 or SUV and plan one buffer day for every four or five days on the road. Stay two or three nights in each base, so that a closed road costs you a drive rather than a hotel.
Either way, if the northern lights are the reason for the trip, northern lights hotels in Iceland solve the wind problem in a different way. They sit away from town lights, and most offer a wake-up call when the aurora appears. You can watch from the doorstep instead of driving out into a February night to find a dark sky.
Guide to Iceland monitors weather advisories for every departure it sells, so a day lost to wind is rescheduled rather than written off.
How We Built the Iceland Wind Study
The wind study has two parts. The monthly wind speeds come from Icelandic Met Office weather stations. The storm-day and calm-day counts come from a daily weather model, because the published station tables give monthly averages rather than day-by-day readings.
1. Station Records: Monthly Wind Speeds From Seven Met Office Stations
We took the monthly mean wind speed from the Icelandic Met Office's published monthly tables for every month from January 2000 to December 2025 at seven stations: Reykjavik, Keflavik Airport, Stykkisholmur, Akureyri, Grimsstadir, Dalatangi, and Vatnsskardsholar. That is 312 months per station.
A handful of months are missing from the published record (six at Akureyri, two each at Grimsstadir and Vatnsskardsholar), and those were left out rather than estimated.
Storhofdi in the Westman Islands is included separately because its published wind series ends in 2013. Its figures cover January 2000 to December 2013 and are not part of the national average.
The national average for each month is the plain average of the seven stations. It is a measure of what Iceland's populated coast experiences, not an area-weighted figure for the whole island. The 31 percent gap between February and July is the difference between those two national averages, expressed as a share of the February figure.
2. Definitions: What We Counted as a Storm Day and a Calm Day
A storm-gust day is any day on which the strongest gust reached 56 mph (90 km/h, or 25 m/s) or more. This is the level at which exposed roads in Iceland are commonly closed and car doors are damaged, and it matches the threshold used in our companion weather study.
A calm day is any day on which the wind never exceeded 18 mph (29 km/h, or 8 m/s). At that speed a flag flies out but walking, cycling, and photography are comfortable.
Both counts are averaged per calendar month across the 26 years, so "five storm-gust days in February" means an average February, not every February.
3. Daily Data: Where the Day Counts Come From
Daily maximum gust and daily maximum wind speed for 2000 to 2025 were taken from the Open-Meteo historical weather API, which serves the ERA5 family of reanalysis models produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. A reanalysis is a weather model run backward over past decades and corrected against observations, which gives a complete daily record for any point on the map.
We pulled the daily series for the coordinates of the eight stations above plus Isafjordur, nine points in all. Reanalysis smooths local terrain, so fjord stations read calmer and headlands read less windy in the model than on the ground. For that reason, the day counts are used to compare months and regions with each other, and the station records are used for the wind speeds themselves.
4. Units and Rounding
Wind speeds are given in miles per hour first, with kilometers per hour in brackets, because those are the units most readers know. Icelandic forecasts and road signs use meters per second (one meter per second is 2.24 mph or 3.6 km/h). Figures are rounded to one decimal where two months are close and to whole numbers elsewhere.
5. Sources
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Icelandic Met Office, monthly climate tables by station (Mánaðargildi), accessed September 2026.
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Copernicus Climate Change Service, ERA5 hourly data on single levels, accessed through the Open-Meteo historical weather API.
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Icelandic Road Administration, road conditions and weather, for the live readings referenced in the driving section.
Conclusion
This study asked when and where Iceland is windiest, and the data gave clear answers.
February is the windiest month in Iceland, at 14.3 mph (23 km/h) on the national average, and July is the least windy, at 9.8 mph (15.8 km/h). The 31 percent gap between them understates the difference on the ground.
In February, the South Coast averages about five days with damaging gusts. In July, the whole country averages none.
Storhofdi in the Westman Islands is the windiest place in the study, windier in its calmest month than Reykjavik in its wildest. Akureyri is the calmest, sheltered in every month of the year by the fjord around it.
The South Coast and Keflavik are where the wind matters most to visitors. Those are the places where the roads, the rental cars, and the tours are.
For most travelers, the practical reading is short. Come in Iceland's summer months, from June to August, if you want calm weather and a fixed itinerary. If you're visiting Iceland in winter, plan a spare day for every four or five on the road, choose a 4x4, and check the forecast each morning.
If you would rather not drive at all, leave it to a guide. Base yourself in Akureyri if wind bothers you more than cloud.
The wind on your own trip will be decided by the forecast, not by a 26-year average. Treat this study as a way to choose your month and shape your route. Treat the Road Administration's live readings as the way to choose your day.
Other Guide to Iceland studies that help with planning a trip around the weather:
Have you driven in Iceland in winter, or waited out a storm day on the South Coast? Which month did you visit, and how did the wind treat you? Tell us in the comments below.
Guide to Iceland Editorials is the shared byline for our content team. We use it on pieces several people worked on together, where no single writer owns the article, and on anything rewritten often enough that a personal byline would be misleading.
Everything published under it is researched and reviewed by people who live and work in Iceland. If you spot something out of date or want to suggest a correction, message us and it reaches the whole team.
