ClimateForecastMayJune >>

Weather in May in Iceland

Are you planning a trip a to Iceland in May and wondering what kind of weather to expect? This page has all the details you need.

What is the weather like in Iceland in May?

May in Iceland generally has cold temperatures, with precipitation levels ranging from moderate to high.

Temperatures

The average maximum temperatures are cold and range from 5°C in Suðureyri to 12°C in Hella. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 5°C in Hella and 2°C in Suðureyri.

Precipitation

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Raufarhöfn with an average of 55 mm to high rainfall in Solheimahjaleiga with 160 mm.

Average sunshine

Meanwhile, Reykjavík enjoys approximately 201 hours of sunshine, offering a mostly sunny climate that adds a pleasant and vibrant feel to the month.

For a closer look at May's conditions in Iceland, see the map below. For a more detailed look at Iceland's yearly weather, check out our Iceland climate page.

Where to go in Iceland in May

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Iceland on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in Iceland?

Reykjavík

In May Reykjavík generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Reykjavík
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
7°C 
1°C 
165 hours 
109 mm 
18 days 
poor 
11°C 
4°C 
201 hours 
97 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
14°C 
7°C 
173 hours 
87 mm 
17 days 
Climate in Reykjavík

Akureyri

In May Akureyri generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 6°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -0°C and moderate monthly snow/rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Akureyri
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly snow/rainfall precipitationSnow/rainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
3°C 
-4°C 
125 hours 
83 mm 
14 days 
poor 
6°C 
-0°C 
169 hours 
71 mm 
12 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
11°C 
4°C 
189 hours 
71 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Akureyri

Keflavík

In May Keflavík generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 9°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 5°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Keflavík
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
7°C 
2°C 
165 hours 
102 mm 
18 days 
poor 
9°C 
5°C 
201 hours 
87 mm 
16 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
8°C 
173 hours 
77 mm 
17 days 
Climate in Keflavík

Höfn

In May Höfn generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 3°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Höfn
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
5°C 
1°C 
142 hours 
152 mm 
13 days 
poor 
8°C 
3°C 
172 hours 
107 mm 
13 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
10°C 
6°C 
147 hours 
112 mm 
14 days 
poor 
Climate in Höfn

Selfoss

In May Selfoss generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 5°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Selfoss
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
8°C 
1°C 
165 hours 
118 mm 
17 days 
poor 
11°C 
5°C 
201 hours 
105 mm 
15 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
14°C 
8°C 
173 hours 
89 mm 
17 days 
Climate in Selfoss

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Iceland.

Is May the best time to visit Iceland?

In our opinion, May may not be the ideal time to visit Iceland due to the typically unpleasant weather in Reykjavík.

On average, the best time to visit Iceland is in June and July with generally tolerable weather in Reykjavík. On the other hand, the weather in January, February, March, April, September, October, November and December tend to be poor.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Iceland. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
  • February      
  • March      
  • April      
  • May      
  • June      
  • July      
  • August      
  • September      
  • October      
  • November      
  • December      
  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Iceland? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Iceland.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.