Aurora forecast / April
Northern lights in Iceland in April
The season is closing. Early April still works; late April does not.
The first half of April can still deliver, especially in the north, but the window shrinks fast — by the end of the month there is not enough true darkness left. If aurora is your main reason for coming, April is a gamble that gets worse every week.
How dark does it get in April?
- Reykjavík: 4.3 hours dark enough for aurora
- Akureyri: 3.3 hours dark enough for aurora
Measured on the 15th of the month — the hours the sun sits far enough below the horizon for aurora to be visible.
What April has actually done
Averaged over 20 years (2006-2025), a typical April gives 18.1 hours of clear dark sky — 17.4% of its 104.5 dark hours. Mean geomagnetic activity for the month is Kp 1.8.
Clearest in April: Kirkjubæjarklaustur (24.7 h), Grindavík (24.3 h), Hella (23.6 h).
Cloud measured by reanalysis and corrected against Icelandic weather stations; Kp from GFZ Potsdam. How every month compares.
Roads and access in April
Ring road good; most F-roads still closed and generally do not open until June.
What else is happening
A good month for waterfalls at full meltwater volume, and puffins begin arriving late in the month.
Every month
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December
Tonight's aurora forecast · Iceland weather map
Somewhere to be while you wait for the month
Step inside Asbyrgi — narrated, and dark enough for the lights when the sky clears.