Iceland Climate
Top 5 Cities: Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Akureyri, and Reykjanesbær
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw Iceland's average temperature reach 1.61°C, an anomaly of +3.2°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 7th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The period of February–April 2026 was exceptionally warm for Iceland, with an average temperature of 0.29°C, marking an anomaly of +3.7°C. This makes it the 2nd warmest such three-month period in 86 years of records, just shy of the 2004 record. This warming trend in Iceland significantly outpaces the global land temperature, which also experienced its 2nd warmest February–April on record with an anomaly of +1.2°C. Iceland's 3-month anomaly places it 22nd out of 234 regions globally for the warmest anomalies.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming observed in Iceland is largely influenced by , where the high northern latitudes are warming at a much faster rate than the global average. The current ENSO state is Neutral, though an El Niño is likely to emerge in the May-July 2026 period and persist through at least the end of 2026, which typically brings cooler conditions to Northern Europe in late winters, but strong El Niños can reverse this. Volcanic activity has also been notable, with ongoing ground uplift and magma accumulation beneath Svartsengi, and earthquake swarms continuing in the Reykjanes Peninsula throughout February and April 2026.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest a likely emergence of El Niño conditions by May–July 2026, which could influence Iceland's weather patterns in the coming months, potentially leading to warmer and drier conditions in winter 2026-2027.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Iceland
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Iceland changing?
Iceland is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Iceland come from?
Climate data for Iceland comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Iceland climate data cover?
The Iceland climate profile covers Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Akureyri and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Iceland
How often is the Iceland climate update refreshed?
The Iceland climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.