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Weather in Iceland in November

Facts verified 2026-08-04Updated 2026-08-04Weather

The sun clocks out: 39.7 sunshine hours in the whole month, the first freezing normal, records to −15.1°C — quoted precisely, not apologised for.

A snow-loaded spruce stand at Rauðavatn near Reykjavík, deep snow on the ground and every branch, with the low orange November sun squeezing between the dark trunks.
Taken at 13:30, 29 November: the sun already on the horizon between snow-loaded spruces at Rauðavatn, Reykjavík. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Short answer

November weather in Iceland: the sun clocks out — 39.7 sunshine hours in the entire month (October had 91.6) — while the first freezing normal arrives (mean night −0.1°C) and records stretch from 14.6°C to −15.1°C. The trade: sixteen-plus hours of aurora darkness. Live reading below.

What is the weather in Iceland right now?

TownNowWindSky
Reykjavík7°C6 m/sOvercast
Vík7°C10 m/sOvercast
Höfn8°C10 m/sClear sky
Borgarnes7°C8 m/sOvercast

Live Open-Meteo readings for our reference towns, fetched at render. The full live board — roads, alerts, aurora, webcams — is Iceland Pulse.

November in Reykjavík — the whole table

MetricValueWhat it means
Mean daily high4.7°CWinter arrives on paper
Mean daily low−0.1°CThe average night now freezes
Record high14.6°CA rogue mild day
Record low−15.1°CDeep cold is on the menu
Precipitation86.5 mmOver 13.7 wet days — rain AND snow
Sunshine39.7 hThe collapse: October had 91.6

The freeze line is the month’s real character: with the mean night at −0.1°C, November lives exactly on the boundary where rain becomes snow and wet roads become black ice — the daily flip that makes winter driving discipline start now, not in December. The full-year context sits in the weather-by-month table.

How much daylight does November have?

DateSunriseSunsetDay length
11-0109:0817:158 h 07 m
11-1009:3816:467 h 09 m
11-2010:1016:176 h 07 m
11-3010:4115:525 h 11 m

Computed, not copied — sunrise and sunset for 2026 at Reykjavík’s own coordinates (64.15, -21.94), NOAA solar algorithm. November sheds 2 h 56 m — and the sun stays low even at its peak, which is why the whole month happens in sidelight.

How dark is November, really?

The hero photograph answers with a timestamp: 13:30 in the afternoon, and the sun is a low orange glow between the trunks. November’s sun never climbs — it grazes the horizon for a five-to-eight-hour window and hands the rest to darkness. The practical rhythm: one anchor sight in the daylight window, pools and food in the dark, and the aurora forecast open every clear evening — prime viewing starts by 19:00, no small-hours vigil needed.

For what November offers beyond its weather — Airwaves above all — the November pillar carries the month; December is where the slide bottoms out.

Cars & campers

−12%exclusive discountFree cancellationKEF airport pickup 24/74.8
Dacia Duster 4x4
SUV

Dacia Duster 4x4

Cheapest real 4WD in the fleet — gravel, the Westfjords and easy summer F-roads without truck prices.

TransmissionManual
FuelPetrol/diesel
Seats5
Drive4WD
From
5,355 kr6,300 kr/day
Reserve −12%
VW Caravelle
9-seater

VW Caravelle

Whole family or friend group in one car — gear in the back, room to stretch.

TransmissionAutomatic
FuelDiesel
Seats9
Drive2WD
From
12,750 kr15,000 kr/day
Reserve −12%
Key Camper Wild Duo
Camper

Key Camper Wild Duo

Sleep right by the trailhead, wake up at the falls — F-road ready from mid-June.

TransmissionManual
FuelPetrol
Sleeps2
Drive4WD
From
5,304 kr6,240 kr/day
Reserve −12%

November weather — questions people actually ask

What is the weather like in Iceland in November?
Winter, arriving in public: the normals put Reykjavík at −0.1°C to 4.7°C — the first month whose average night freezes — with 86.5 mm of precipitation over about 14 days, falling as rain, sleet and increasingly snow. The defining number is sunshine: 39.7 hours for the entire month, barely an hour and a quarter a day. November is not a sightseeing-marathon month; it is a short-window, aurora-and-pools month, and honest about it.
What is the temperature in Iceland in November?
Normals of −0.1°C to 4.7°C in Reykjavík, hovering around the freeze line that defines the month's character: wet roads glaze overnight and thaw by noon. The records stretch far in both directions — 14.6°C on a rogue mild day, −15.1°C at the cold extreme — so a November suitcase covers real winter even when the forecast looks soft. The north and the interior run consistently colder than the capital.
How dark is Iceland in November?
Quantifiably, and there is a photograph on this page taken at 13:30 with the sun on the horizon. The computed table shows the day shrinking from 8 hours 7 minutes to 5 hours 11 minutes, and the sun never climbs high even at noon — everything happens in long, low sidelight. The upside is equally real: sixteen-plus hours of darkness makes November one of the most generous aurora months on the calendar.
Does it snow in Iceland in November?
Yes — November is when snow starts to STAY. The freeze-line normals (−0.1°C nights) mean precipitation lands as rain one day and snow the next, and by late month Reykjavík usually has its first lasting cover, with the north and the mountains ahead of it. For drivers this is the month studded and winter tyres earn their season: bare tarmac at breakfast can be glazed by dinner.
What should I wear in Iceland in November?
Full winter kit, no negotiating: insulated waterproof jacket, warm mid-layer, thermal base, hat, gloves, and footwear with real grip — Reykjavík's freeze-thaw pavements are the most underestimated hazard of the month. Ice grippers that slip over boots cost little and save holidays. And the eternal Icelandic postscript: bring the swimsuit, because 39.7 hours of sunshine is best enjoyed from 38°C geothermal water.
Is November good for northern lights in Iceland?
One of the best: sixteen-plus hours of true darkness, aurora-grade nights guaranteed by the calendar rather than luck. The limiting factor is cloud — November carries real weather systems, so the game is matching a clear-sky gap to the Kp index. The live forecast page does exactly that pairing. The other November advantage: prime aurora hours start by 19:00, no 2 a.m. vigils required.
Is it hard to drive in Iceland in November?
Harder than October, easier than January — with the freeze line as the wildcard: the road that was wet at noon is black ice by 18:00. Winter tyres are standard on rentals by now; the live road state becomes the first check of every morning, and wind advisories return to the daily vocabulary. Keep plans elastic, drive the daylight window, and let the live verdicts page make the marginal calls.

Photograph: snow-loaded spruces at Rauðavatn, EXIF-dated 29 November 13:30, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Climate normals 1991–2020 (including the record rows): Icelandic Met Office, as published in the Reykjavík climate table, read 4 August 2026. Daylight computed at render (NOAA solar algorithm, Reykjavík coordinates; Iceland keeps UTC year-round). Live reading: Open-Meteo via our Pulse feed at render time, shown only when the feed answers.

Iceland nowfrom 19 Sep 06:10
8°C · overcastWind 2 m/sRing Road (R1) openAurora Kp 2.67Daylight 07:02 – 19:39Webcams