Early October 1 October
48°F
Typical afternoon high
55% historical wet-day frequency
Iceland · Countryside
Iceland
in October.
Is October a good time?
Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than September.
October averages 44°F afternoons and 45°F seas, with about 13 rain days. Later October is typically cooler.
- Afternoons
- 44°F
- Sea
- 45°F
- Visitor demand
- 49%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
4.5/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather3.7/10Fair
CrowdsModerate 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 October
What to expect.
What should I pack?
Afternoons around 44°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 13 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 10 hours of daylight.
Can I swim in October?
The sea averages 45°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 10 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 08:04 and sets about 17:56 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 44°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 13 days in a typical October.
Typical afternoon
44°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Octobers
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
45°F (7°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 52m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late October?
Early October is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 48°F on the 1st, versus 40°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 55% to 47% between those dates.
Mid October 15 October
45°F
Typical afternoon high
46% historical wet-day frequency
Late October 31 October
40°F
Typical afternoon high
47% 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 datesOctober 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar
October 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 148° | 248° | 347° | 447° | |||
| 547° | 647° | 746° | 846° | 946° | 1046° | 1146° |
| 1246° | 1345° | 1445° | 1545° | 1644° | 1744° | 1844° |
| 1943° | 2043° | 2143° | 2242° | 2342° | 2442° | 2542° |
| 2641° | 2741° | 2841° | 2941° | 3040° | 3140° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
School-holiday dates for October 2026 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.
Afternoons cool from about 47°F (8°C) in the first week to 41°F (5°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 42–55%.
Elsewhere in October 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 45%, Germany 33%, Netherlands 39%, Switzerland 32%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Moderate season. October averages 49% of July's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than September.
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?
About 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, New York JFK, Newark and Washington Dulles and 10 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
Year-to-year variation
How much does October vary?
Across the recorded years
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 42°F (5°C) and 49°F (9°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 44°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 24; half the years had 11–18.
Rain days in each October
Rain days
13
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 22 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
2 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no October in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
2 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded OctoberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 43°F | 18 |
| 2012 | 43°F | 9 |
| 2013 | 43°F | 5 |
| 2014 | 42°F | 11 |
| 2015 | 45°F | 22 |
| 2016 | 49°F | 24 |
| 2017 | 47°F | 13 |
| 2018 | 42°F | 21 |
| 2019 | 44°F | 13 |
| 2020 | 45°F | 10 |
| 2021 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 44°F | 11 |
| 2023 | 44°F | 13 |
| 2024 | 42°F | 17 |
| 2025 | 44°F | 17 |
Checked against official climate averages for Reykjavik. How we check
Compare dates
September, October
or November?
| Typical conditions | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 52°F | 44°F | 38°F |
| Sea | 48°F | 45°F | 44°F |
| Rain days | 17 | 13 | 15 |
| Overnight demand | 65% | 49% | 34% |
September: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and more rain days than October. More overnight demand. September guide →
November: Cooler afternoons and more rain days than October. Less overnight demand. November 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 October Show comparisonHide comparison
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. October stays as your reference.
May has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than October, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
October or September?
Overnight stays are 65% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the September guide →| Typical conditions | October | September |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 44°F | 52°F |
| Nights | 36°F | 42°F |
| Sea | 45°F | 48°F |
| Rain days | 13 | 17 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Busy season |
| Overall / 10 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| Month rank | #11 | #12 |
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 October 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.
Southern Norwayabout 950 miles
Fair weather (4.9): 9°F warmer afternoons, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Dalarna & North Middle Swedenabout 1070 miles
Good weather (5.1): 6°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
FlevolandNetherlands · about 1200 miles
Good weather (6.5): 16°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
DrentheNetherlands · about 1210 miles
Good weather (6.5): 16°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
OverijsselNetherlands · about 1230 miles
Good weather (6.6): 16°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's moderate season, 49% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 25,000 overnight visitors on a typical October night across the region, 17% of them from Iceland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 7,000 more: 29 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 54 |
| 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 | 63 |
| Busiest month here | July · 129 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 6.0% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 95th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 17% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 29 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 7.5% |
| National hotel-price season | Iceland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% 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.