Early December 1 December
34°F
Typical afternoon high
51% historical wet-day frequency
Iceland · Countryside
Iceland
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than November.
December averages 33°F afternoons and 42°F seas, with about 16 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 33°F
- Sea
- 42°F
- Visitor demand
- 26%of July peak
Historical Ísland regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Reykjavík, Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon and Vík; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
4.8/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#6 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather2.8/10Poor
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, one of Europe's busiest this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Iceland-wide price level
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
What to expect.
What should I pack?
Afternoons around 33°F (0°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 16 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 4 hours of daylight.
Can I swim in December?
The sea averages 42°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 4 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 11:17 and sets about 15:02 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 27°F (−3°C); afternoons reach about 33°F (0°C). Expect rain on about 16 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
33°F (0°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
27°F (−3°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
42°F (5°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
3h 45m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late December?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 34°F on the 1st, versus 32°F on the 31st.
Mid December 15 December
34°F
Typical afternoon high
54% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
32°F
Typical afternoon high
51% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Daily calendar & holiday datesDecember 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar
December 2026 calendar
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134° | 233° | 333° | 433° | 533° | 633° | |
| 733° | 833° | 933° | 1033° | 1133° | 1233° | 1333° |
| 1434° | 1534° | 1634° | 1734° | 1834° | 1933° | 2033° |
| 2133° | 2233° | 2333° | 2433° | 2533° | 2633° | 2732° |
| 2832° | 2932° | 3032° | 3132° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
School-holiday dates for December 2026 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.
Afternoons hold at about 33°F (1°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 50–55%.
Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Germany 29%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Low season. December averages 26% of July's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.
Overnight stays across Ísland do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
Well below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Iceland as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 167 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Boston, Baltimore, New York JFK and Seattle and 10 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
Year-to-year variation
How much does December vary?
Across the recorded years
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 25°F (−4°C) and 40°F (4°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 33°F (0°C). Rain days ranged from 8 to 25; half the years had 13–19.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
16
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 21 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
2 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no December in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
0 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded DecemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 27°F | 19 |
| 2012 | 35°F | 13 |
| 2013 | 32°F | 19 |
| 2014 | 31°F | 19 |
| 2015 | 32°F | 19 |
| 2016 | 40°F | 25 |
| 2017 | 31°F | 12 |
| 2018 | 38°F | 21 |
| 2019 | 33°F | 15 |
| 2020 | 35°F | 16 |
| 2021 | 35°F | 14 |
| 2022 | 25°F | 8 |
| 2023 | 30°F | 13 |
| 2024 | 31°F | 20 |
| 2025 | 39°F | 14 |
Checked against official climate averages for Reykjavik. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 38°F | 33°F | 33°F |
| Sea | 44°F | 42°F | 41°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| Overnight demand | 34% | 26% | 26% |
November: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than December. More overnight demand. November guide →
January: More rain days than December. January guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with December Show comparisonHide comparison
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.
April to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
December or November?
Overnight stays are 34% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 33°F | 38°F |
| Nights | 27°F | 32°F |
| Sea | 42°F | 44°F |
| Rain days | 16 | 15 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 4.8 | 5.1 |
| Month rank | #6 | #3 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.6 | #7 | 33°F | 27°F | 41°F | 18 | 2.6 | Low season |
| February | 4.6 | #8 | 36°F | 28°F | 40°F | 17 | 2.6 | Moderate season |
| March | 4.9 | #5 | 39°F | 29°F | 40°F | 17 | 3.2 | Moderate season |
| April | 5.3 | #2 | 45°F | 33°F | 41°F | 12 | 4.0 | Moderate season |
| May | 5.3 | #1 | 51°F | 37°F | 43°F | 12 | 4.8 | Moderate season |
| June | 4.9 | #4 | 57°F | 43°F | 46°F | 11 | 5.6 | Busy season |
| July | 4.5 | #9 | 60°F | 46°F | 49°F | 12 | 6.1 | Peak season |
| August | 4.5 | #10 | 59°F | 46°F | 50°F | 12 | 5.8 | Peak season |
| September | 4.4 | #12 | 52°F | 42°F | 48°F | 17 | 4.3 | Busy season |
| October | 4.5 | #11 | 44°F | 36°F | 45°F | 13 | 3.7 | Moderate season |
| November | 5.1 | #3 | 38°F | 32°F | 44°F | 15 | 3.2 | Low season |
| December | 4.8 | #6 | 33°F | 27°F | 42°F | 16 | 2.8 | Low season |
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Iceland
Iceland's weather ranks 117 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Iceland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Iceland.
FlevolandNetherlands · about 1200 miles
Fair weather (4.3): 14°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, cheaper
DrentheNetherlands · about 1210 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 13°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, cheaper
OverijsselNetherlands · about 1230 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 13°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, cheaper
Weser-Ems & the North Sea coastLower Saxony · Germany · about 1240 miles
Fair weather (4.1): 12°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
GelderlandNetherlands · about 1240 miles
Fair weather (4.3): 14°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 26% of the busiest month and 50% below its average month. That means about 13,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 19% of them from Iceland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,200 more: 32 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 49 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Reykjavik from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 3°F (1.7°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 34 |
| Busiest month here | July · 129 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 3.3% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 96th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 19% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 32 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 4.3% |
| National hotel-price season | Iceland historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−17% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 389,000 |
| Statistical region | IS00 · Ísland |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2023 only. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2023 only, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.