Home › Compare › Reykjavík vs Big Sky
Reykjavík vs Big Sky
Comparing Reykjavík change · Big Sky change
Reykjavík is the warmer of the two — about 2°C on the annual average; Reykjavík is the wetter, with 712 mm more rain a year, and Big Sky the sunnier.
How the seasons compare
The differences between Reykjavík and Big Sky, in everyday terms.
Summers
Big Sky has far hotter summers
Reykjavík: Cool
Big Sky: Warm
Winters
Reykjavík has far milder winters
Reykjavík: Cold
Big Sky: Bitterly cold
Rain & snow
Reykjavík is wetter
Reykjavík: Wet
Big Sky: Moderate rainfall
Sky
Big Sky is sunnier
Reykjavík: Often grey
Big Sky: Partly cloudy
Month-by-month charts
Temperature
Reykjavík is the warmer of the two — about 2°C on the annual average.
Precipitation
Reykjavík is the wetter — about 712 mm more across the year.
Clear skies
Big Sky has the clearer skies — the higher line.
Exact monthly numbers
Tap a metric to open its full table. Desktop shows all twelve months; on a phone each metric splits into Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec.
Avg high (°C) Varies through the year
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Big Sky | -2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 28 | 27 | 20 | 11 | 3 | -3 |
| Difference | -5 | -2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +9 | +14 | +13 | +10 | +4 | -2 | -6 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Big Sky | -2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 21 |
| Difference | -5 | -2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +9 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 14 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Big Sky | 28 | 27 | 20 | 11 | 3 | -3 |
| Difference | +14 | +13 | +10 | +4 | -2 | -6 |
Avg low (°C) Reykjavík runs higher most of the year
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | -1 | -2 | -2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | -1 |
| Big Sky | -16 | -16 | -11 | -6 | -2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -2 | -6 | -11 | -16 |
| Difference | -15 | -13 | -10 | -7 | -6 | -6 | -5 | -6 | -8 | -8 | -11 | -16 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | -1 | -2 | -2 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Big Sky | -16 | -16 | -11 | -6 | -2 | 1 |
| Difference | -15 | -13 | -10 | -7 | -6 | -6 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | -1 |
| Big Sky | 4 | 2 | -2 | -6 | -11 | -16 |
| Difference | -5 | -6 | -8 | -8 | -11 | -16 |
Precipitation (mm) Reykjavík runs higher most of the year
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 133 | 127 | 109 | 75 | 93 | 50 | 95 | 135 | 128 | 114 | 149 | 123 |
| Big Sky | 62 | 60 | 55 | 62 | 63 | 50 | 27 | 27 | 33 | 48 | 63 | 70 |
| Difference | -71 | -67 | -54 | -14 | -30 | — | -68 | -107 | -94 | -66 | -87 | -53 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 133 | 127 | 109 | 75 | 93 | 50 |
| Big Sky | 62 | 60 | 55 | 62 | 63 | 50 |
| Difference | -71 | -67 | -54 | -14 | -30 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 95 | 135 | 128 | 114 | 149 | 123 |
| Big Sky | 27 | 27 | 33 | 48 | 63 | 70 |
| Difference | -68 | -107 | -94 | -66 | -87 | -53 |
Snowfall (cm)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 28 | 40 | 29 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 30 |
| Big Sky | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Difference | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 28 | 40 | 29 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Big Sky | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Difference | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 30 |
| Big Sky | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Difference | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Cloud cover (%) Reykjavík runs higher most of the year
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 85 | 82 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 82 | 84 |
| Big Sky | 67 | 67 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 58 | 41 | 42 | 46 | 58 | 67 | 68 |
| Difference | -18 | -15 | -11 | -8 | -8 | -22 | -40 | -38 | -33 | -19 | -14 | -16 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 85 | 82 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 79 |
| Big Sky | 67 | 67 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 58 |
| Difference | -18 | -15 | -11 | -8 | -8 | -22 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 81 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 82 | 84 |
| Big Sky | 41 | 42 | 46 | 58 | 67 | 68 |
| Difference | -40 | -38 | -33 | -19 | -14 | -16 |
Relative humidity (%) Varies through the year
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 88 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 88 |
| Big Sky | 99 | 99 | 95 | 83 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 49 | 54 | 68 | 87 | 98 |
| Difference | +11 | +12 | +9 | -2 | -11 | -16 | -30 | -37 | -32 | -20 | — | +10 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 88 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 83 | 83 |
| Big Sky | 99 | 99 | 95 | 83 | 73 | 67 |
| Difference | +11 | +12 | +9 | -2 | -11 | -16 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | 85 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 88 |
| Big Sky | 55 | 49 | 54 | 68 | 87 | 98 |
| Difference | -30 | -37 | -32 | -20 | — | +10 |
How both climates are changing
Both cities are warming. Each city has its own warming trend; see its trends page for the year-by-year detail. Reykjavík trends → · Big Sky trends →
Methodology & sources
Reykjavík
Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 11 years of daily observations at Keflavik, a weather station, about 39 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.
Big Sky
Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 22 years of daily observations at West Yellowstone, a weather station, about 73 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.
← change Reykjavík · change Big Sky → · Reykjavík page · Big Sky page