Planning a trip to Iceland means planning for the weather—because you’ll get all four seasons, often in a single day. The right weather apps can make the difference between a stressful drive and a magical day chasing waterfalls, hot springs, and northern lights. Here are the essential weather apps every Iceland traveler should have on their phone, plus how to use them while staying at Ourhotels.is locations like Hvítá Inn in Borgarfjörður, Stykkishólmur Inn, and Ísafjörður Inn.
One of the most important apps for Iceland is the official Icelandic Met Office app (vedur.is). It gives highly detailed forecasts for wind, temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover, and it’s updated frequently—crucial in a country where conditions change fast. When you’re staying at Hvítá Inn in Borgarfjörður, for example, you can use the app to check wind speeds on nearby mountain roads before heading out to Hraunfossar and Barnafoss or driving towards the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Around Stykkishólmur Inn, Vedur’s cloud cover maps are especially useful if you’re hoping to catch a sunset over Breiðafjörður or planning a boat tour among the islands. In the Westfjords, while staying at Ísafjörður Inn, the wind and precipitation forecasts help you decide whether to drive the fjord roads or spend more time exploring cafés, museums, and indoor pools in town.
For road safety, the SafeTravel and road.is combination is essential. The SafeTravel app (from ICE-SAR) offers alerts, travel conditions, and the option to submit a travel plan—very useful if you’re heading into more remote areas. Road.is shows real-time road conditions, webcams, and closures. Before leaving Hvítá Inn in Borgarfjörður for a day trip to the highlands or towards the Golden Circle, check road.is for ice, snow, or wind warnings on mountain passes. From Stykkishólmur Inn, you can quickly see if roads across Snæfellsnes are clear before circling the peninsula. In the Westfjords, where weather can be more extreme, checking road.is from Ísafjörður Inn each morning is almost a ritual—especially in winter, when some passes can close unexpectedly.
For general, easy-to-read forecasts, apps like Yr.no and Windy are excellent companions. Yr.no, from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, is popular with locals and travelers for its hour-by-hour breakdown and simple interface. It’s ideal when you’re planning your day from any Ourhotels.is property: deciding the best time to walk along the river near Hvítá Inn, choosing a calm window for a harbor stroll from Stykkishólmur Inn, or timing a hike above Ísafjörður for the clearest views. Windy, on the other hand, is perfect for visually understanding wind patterns and incoming weather systems. If you’re driving between Ourhotels.is locations—say, from Borgarfjörður to Stykkishólmur or up to Ísafjörður—Windy helps you see where strong gusts or heavy showers might affect your route.
If you’re visiting in winter and hoping to see the northern lights, a dedicated aurora app is a must. Apps like My Aurora Forecast or Aurora Alerts use data from the Icelandic Met Office and other sources to estimate aurora activity and cloud cover. While staying at Hvítá Inn, you can step outside to relatively dark surroundings along the river and use the app to decide whether it’s worth staying up late. In Stykkishólmur, you can check cloud forecasts before heading out to a darker viewpoint overlooking the bay. In Ísafjörður, where the mountains frame the sky beautifully, an aurora app helps you choose the clearest night to drive a short distance out of town for a better view. Combine these apps with Vedur’s cloud maps for the best chance of success.
Don’t overlook simple tools like Google Maps or Maps.me, either. While not weather apps, they become powerful when used alongside your forecasts. Check Vedur or Yr.no for the best weather window, then use your map app to plan a scenic route from one Ourhotels.is location to the next. For example, if the forecast shows clearer skies in the afternoon, you might linger over breakfast at Hvítá Inn, then drive towards Stykkishólmur Inn when the roads are drier and the views are better. Or, if a storm is expected in the Westfjords, you can adjust your plans from Ísafjörður Inn to focus on local activities within walking distance instead of long drives.
A few practical tips make these apps even more useful. First, add your key locations as favorites: Borgarfjörður (for Hvítá Inn), Stykkishólmur, and Ísafjörður, plus any major stops in between. This lets you compare conditions quickly across west and northwest Iceland. Second, always pay close attention to wind speed, not just temperature or rain. In Iceland, strong winds can make driving difficult even when the sky looks clear. Third, download offline maps before you set off, especially when traveling between Ourhotels.is properties in more remote areas where mobile coverage can be patchy.
Staying at Ourhotels.is gives you a comfortable base in some of the most beautiful parts of west and northwest Iceland, but the weather will shape your experience day by day. With the right apps on your phone and a few minutes of planning each morning, you can turn Iceland’s famously unpredictable weather into an advantage—choosing the best times to explore waterfalls near Hvítá Inn, wander the colorful streets and harbor by Stykkishólmur Inn, or discover the dramatic fjord landscapes around Ísafjörður Inn. Embrace the changing skies, stay flexible, and let the forecasts guide you to the best of Iceland, whatever the weather.
