Aurora forecast / August
Northern lights in Iceland in August
Not until the very end of the month, and only in the north.
The last week of August is when aurora becomes possible again, starting in the north where nights darken first. Expect a short window around midnight rather than a whole night, and expect faint displays low on the northern horizon rather than anything overhead. Early August is still midnight-sun territory.
How dark does it get in August?
- Reykjavík: 0.8 hours dark enough for aurora
- Akureyri: never dark enough
Measured on the 15th of the month — the hours the sun sits far enough below the horizon for aurora to be visible.
What August has actually done
Averaged over 20 years (2006-2025), a typical August gives 7.1 hours of clear dark sky — 16.2% of its 43.7 dark hours. Mean geomagnetic activity for the month is Kp 1.6.
Clearest in August: Hella (13.7 h), Kirkjubæjarklaustur (11.2 h), Grindavík (10.7 h).
Cloud measured by reanalysis and corrected against Icelandic weather stations; Kp from GFZ Potsdam. How every month compares.
Roads and access in August
Everything open, including the highlands. The easiest month to reach dark, remote spots.
What else is happening
You get highland access and the first aurora of the season in the same trip — a genuinely rare overlap.
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.