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Daylight hours in Reykjavík

Reykjavík gets 21h 02m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 4h 13m on its shortest in December — a difference of 16h 49m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 1 May, Reykjavík gains or loses about 6.7 minutes of daylight every day.

That is quick enough to notice week to week, which is why spring seems to arrive all at once this far from the equator.

Sunrise and sunset by month

On the 15th of each month, in Atlantic/Reykjavik local time, daylight saving included.

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightSolar noon
January 10:54 16:19 5h 25m 13:36
February 09:22 18:00 8h 38m 13:41
March 07:45 19:27 11h 42m 13:36
April 05:55 21:00 15h 05m 13:27
May 04:12 22:35 18h 24m 13:23
June 02:57 23:59 21h 02m 13:28
July 03:41 23:25 19h 43m 13:33
August 05:19 21:44 16h 25m 13:32
September 06:51 19:54 13h 04m 13:22
October 08:18 18:08 9h 50m 13:13
November 09:56 16:27 6h 31m 13:12
December 11:16 15:29 4h 13m 13:22

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 07:27 19:42 12h 15m
June solstice 21 Jun 02:55 00:03 21h 08m
September equinox 22 Sep 07:11 19:29 12h 19m
December solstice 21 Dec 11:21 15:29 4h 07m

The equinoxes give almost exactly twelve hours of daylight everywhere on earth — "almost" because sunrise is defined by the sun's upper edge rather than its centre, and the atmosphere bends its light over the horizon before it has really arrived. Both lengthen the day by a few minutes.

Assumptions

  • Sea-level horizon. Hills, mountains and buildings all delay sunrise and bring sunset forward, sometimes by a lot in a valley.
  • Standard refraction. Sunrise is taken at −0.833°, allowing for the sun's disc and average atmospheric bending. Unusual air conditions shift it by a minute or two.
  • Local clock time, with daylight saving applied from the IANA timezone database.

Full methodology, sources and known limitations