Light breeze

ENE · gusts 3 m/s

Monday 19 October · Southeast

Skaftafellsjökull weather, live

4°

Rain

Icelandic: Rigning

Feels like 2° · 0.9 mm/h

Light breeze

ENE · gusts 3 m/s

Heavy rain this evening — around 22 mm.

The sky over Skaftafellsjökull at 17:37, drawn from the forecast.

Updated 19 October 2026 at 17:37

Measured 17:30Skaftafell · 2.5 km · 8 min ago4°2 m/sgusts 393 %

The next 48 hours

What to wear

If you're out for an hour or so

Feels like 0°

Wool sweater
Stays warm even when damp
Waterproof shell
One with a hood
Warm hat
Gloves
Rain trousers
Sturdy, waterproof shoes

Driving today

Warnings, gusts and road ice over the next 12 hours

Good driving conditions

No warnings, no strong gusts and nothing pointing to ice.

Always check umferdin.is and safetravel.is before you set off.

Skaftafellsá1 km
1↑2Air 4°
Skaftafell3 km · 86 m
2↑3Air 4°
Sandfell í Öræfum10 km · 84 m
3↑3Air 5°Road 5°
Hof16 km
2↑4Air 6°

Road conditions on umferdin.is

Before you go

A tongue of Europe's largest ice cap; an easy stroll from Skaftafell leads to the glacier's snout.

Only with a guide
Crevasses hide under snow. Never walk onto a glacier without a certified guide and gear.
Colder and brighter
On the ice it's several degrees colder and the light reflects back at you — sunglasses and sunscreen even when it's cloudy.

10 days

Highs, lows, rain and the strongest gust each day

Afternoon
5°
4 m/s · ↑5 · 0.9 mm
Evening
7°
7 m/s · ↑8 · 5.4 mm
Night
6°
4 m/s · ↑8 · 10.4 mm
Morning
5°
3 m/s · ↑7 · 11.4 mm
Afternoon
4°
3 m/s · ↑3 · 0.8 mm
Evening
2°
3 m/s · ↑3
Night
-1°
3 m/s · ↑3
Morning
0°
3 m/s · ↑3
Afternoon
1°
3 m/s · ↑3
Evening
-3°
3 m/s · ↑3
Night
-2°
4 m/s · ↑5 · 0.1 mm
Morning
0°
3 m/s · ↑4 · 2.6 mm
Afternoon
1°
1 m/s · ↑4 · 0.9 mm
Evening
-2°
2 m/s · ↑4
Night
-3°
3 m/s · ↑4
Morning
-2°
2 m/s · ↑4
Afternoon
0°
1 m/s · ↑3
Evening
-3°
2 m/s · ↑3
Night
-3°
2 m/s · ↑3
Morning
-3°
2 m/s · ↑3
Afternoon
-1°
1 m/s · ↑3
Evening
-4°
2 m/s · ↑4
Night
-4°
2 m/s · ↑5
Morning
-5°
2 m/s · ↑4
Afternoon
-3°
2 m/s · ↑4
Evening
-6°
2 m/s · ↑4 · 0.9 mm
Night
-1°
1 m/s · ↑4 · 1.8 mm
Morning
0°
1 m/s · ↑2
Afternoon
2°
1 m/s · ↑4
Evening
1°
2 m/s · ↑4 · 0.4 mm
Night
3°
1 m/s · ↑4 · 1.0 mm
Morning
3°
1 m/s · ↑4 · 1.1 mm
Afternoon
4°
0 m/s · ↑4 · 0.2 mm
Evening
1°
2 m/s · ↑4
Night
-1°
2 m/s · ↑4
Morning
0°
2 m/s · ↑3
Afternoon
2°
2 m/s · ↑3 · 0.1 mm
Evening
2°
1 m/s · ↑3 · 0.1 mm

Wind

Mean wind and gusts, m/s

No strong gusts in the next two days.

Mean wind Gusts

The second number is the one that matters: gusts flip trailers and rip car doors off their hinges.

The weeks ahead

Skaftafellsjökull: two weeks day by day, then the weeks after and the season ahead — each compared with the usual weather.

The whole country, two weeks ahead →

The next three days · 19–21 Oct
Colder than usual
-1° – 8° · −1.3°Fairly sure
Rain or snow at times · Breezy
The rest of the week · 22–25 Oct
Much colder than usual
-2° – 4° · −4.1°Could still change
Rain or snow most days · Breezy
The week after · 26 Oct – 2 Nov
Colder than usual
-2° – 4° · −2.4°Very uncertain
Rain or snow most days · Mostly light winds

Day by day

ECMWF runs its forecast 51 times with slightly different starting points. Where the runs agree, the forecast is sure; the further ahead, the more they drift apart.

Chance of rain or snow

Strongest gusts, m/s

Likely high and low
8 in 10 runs fall inside
Usual for the time of year
Tap a day for the details.

Further ahead

Beyond two weeks no forecast can say which day it rains — but ECMWF's extended forecast can tell whether a week leans warmer or wetter than usual, and how sure it is. Paler bars mean a weaker lean.

WeekTemperatureRain and snow

2–8 Nov
usually 6° / 1°
+0.7° A little warmer than usual
62% likely
About the usual rain and snow
9–15 Nov
usually 6° / 0°
+0.6° A little warmer than usual
55% likely
About the usual rain and snow
16–22 Nov
usually 5° / 0°
+0.5° A little warmer than usual
59% likely
About the usual rain and snow
23–29 Nov
usually 5° / -1°
+0.2° About usual
About the usual rain and snow

The season ahead

ECMWF's seasonal forecast, month by month. Read it as a lean, not a forecast — for packing, the usual weather is still your best guide.

November
Usually 6° / 0° in Jökulsárlón
+0.6° A little warmer than usual
About the usual rain and snow
November in detail
December
Usually 4° / -2° in Jökulsárlón
+0.4° About usual
About the usual rain and snow
December in detail
January
Usually 4° / -2° in Jökulsárlón
+0.5° A little warmer than usual
About the usual rain and snow
January in detail

Ensemble, extended-range (EC46) and seasonal (SEAS5) forecasts: ECMWF via Open-Meteo.com, CC BY 4.0. Icelandic Met Office, Fagurhólsmýri 1991–2020.

Daylight

9 h 25 min of daylight

↓ 6 min 26 s shorter than yesterday

Sunrise: 08:09
Sunset: 17:34
Golden hour: 16:22–17:34
Fully dark: 19:18–06:27

Northern lights tonight

Clouded out

Dark 19:18–06:27

Cloud cover through the night

1906

Activity (Kp)

Tonight

5.0

Tue

3.7

Wed

3.3

Get away from street lights and give your eyes fifteen minutes.

From the forecaster

Written by the duty meteorologists at the Icelandic Met Office

South and southwest 5-13 m/s and wiedly rain og showers of rain, but mainly dry in the northeast.

South 8-13 m/s at the east coast tomorrow, but much lighter winds elsewhere. Rain or sleet in the east parts, later snow in mountains, but scattered showers of rain or sleet elsewhere. Temperatures 3 to 10 deg C, mildest in the Eastfjords.

Written today at 15:12 · vedur.is

Regional forecasts are only written in Icelandic, so this is the national one.

In short

Tonight
Southeasterly 2–7 m/s, heavy rain. 4 to 7 °C.
Tomorrow
Light winds, heavy rain. 3 to 5 °C.
Wednesday
Light winds, cloudy. -3 to 1 °C.

Typical weather by month

Nearest long-term record: Jökulsárlón, 34 km away

high / low · wet days · Icelandic Met Office, Fagurhólsmýri 1991–2020

Questions visitors ask

What is the weather in Skaftafellsjökull right now?

4 °C and rain, wind 2 m/s from the northeast, gusting 3 m/s. Measured at Skaftafell at 17:30 on 19 October 2026.

What will the weather be like in Skaftafellsjökull over the next two weeks?

The next three days (19–21 Oct): colder than usual, -1 to 8 °C, rain or snow at times, breezy. The rest of the week (22–25 Oct): much colder than usual, -2 to 4 °C, rain or snow most days, breezy. The week after (26 Oct – 2 Nov): colder than usual, -2 to 4 °C, rain or snow most days, mostly light winds. Based on ECMWF's 51-run ensemble forecast as of 19 October 2026; the further ahead, the less certain.

What should I wear in Skaftafellsjökull today?

Dress for the wind, not the thermometer: wool sweater, waterproof shell, warm hat, gloves, rain trousers and sturdy, waterproof shoes.

Is it safe to drive to Skaftafellsjökull today?

Good driving conditions. No warnings, no strong gusts and nothing pointing to ice. Always check road conditions on umferdin.is before you set off.

Can I see the northern lights in Skaftafellsjökull tonight?

Clouded out. Dark 19:18–06:27.

When is sunrise and sunset in Skaftafellsjökull today?

Sunrise is at 08:09 and sunset at 17:34 — 9 h 25 min of daylight. Iceland is on UTC all year.

Nearby

More forecasts close by

Iceland right now

Live readings from … Icelandic Met Office stations, updated hourly

Gathering stations…

The moving streaks follow the wind as it's measured right now.

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Mountain passes

Live from the Road Administration's roadside weather stations

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