As of yesterday, the daylight in Iceland is two hours longer (1 h 53 mins to be exact) than on winter solstice, December 21. Today the sun rose in Reykjavík at 10:37 and will set at 16:43. Residents of Ísafjörður have roughly one hour less daylight than in the capital with the sun rising at 11:03 and setting at 16:26.

Reykjavík in November. Photo: Geir Ólafsson/Iceland Review.

The daylight hours will continue to increase by an average of six minutes per day until summer solstice, June 21, when the daylight starts to decrease again.

Winter solstice began at nightfall on December 20, at 3:30 pm in Reykjavík, and ended at sunrise at 11:23 am the following day. Ásatrúarfélagið, followers of the old Norse religion, celebrate the event each year.

The capital sees four hours of daylight at the winter solstice while on Iceland’s northernmost inhabited island Grímsey, which lies on the Arctic Circle, the sun doesn’t rise at all.

However, although islanders can’t see the sun, they do enjoy two hours and 15 minutes of daylight on that day.

Click here to read more about winter solstice in Iceland.

ZR