Aurora forecast / March
Northern lights in Iceland in March
Arguably the sweet spot of the whole season.
March combines still-long nights with milder weather and more settled conditions than midwinter. The equinox period is associated with elevated geomagnetic activity — the Russell-McPherron effect, where the tilt of the Earth relative to the solar wind favours coupling around the equinoxes. If you can only take one trip, this month and September are the strongest candidates.
How dark does it get in March?
- Reykjavík: 8.8 hours dark enough for aurora
- Akureyri: 8.5 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 March has actually done
Averaged over 20 years (2006-2025), a typical March gives 40.2 hours of clear dark sky — 15.2% of its 265.5 dark hours. Mean geomagnetic activity for the month is Kp 1.8.
Clearest in March: Kirkjubæjarklaustur (54.8 h), Grindavík (51.9 h), Reykjavík (51.1 h).
Cloud measured by reanalysis and corrected against Icelandic weather stations; Kp from GFZ Potsdam. How every month compares.
Roads and access in March
Ring road generally reliable; highland F-roads still closed. Some passes reopen late in the month.
What else is happening
Enough daylight for proper sightseeing and enough darkness for aurora, which is a rare combination.
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.