Skip to content
✨ New: Aurora data integration + ready-to-use rule templates for photographers
Rule Coastal Drama

Djúpalónssandur - Coastal Drama Forecast - Iceland

Hellissandur, West, Iceland

Dramatic coastal photography conditions - powerful waves combined with atmospheric drama and good visibility for seascape shots.

This forecast identifies when dramatic conditions align for photography along Iceland's otherworldly coastline. We track cloud drama, visibility, and wind patterns to predict when Atlantic storms create the most photogenic conditions.

Iceland's coastline offers landscapes found nowhere else on Earth—black volcanic sand, basalt columns, sea stacks, glacial icebergs washed ashore, and some of the world's most powerful waves. The interplay between North Atlantic weather and this volcanic shore creates constantly changing drama.

What makes Iceland's coast special for dramatic photography:

  • Unique geology - Black sand beaches, columnar basalt, and volcanic formations unlike anywhere else
  • Extreme contrast - Dark sand against white waves, blue icebergs, and stormy skies
  • Powerful seas - North Atlantic waves create dramatic action (but demand respect and safe distances)
  • Arctic light - Long golden hours and dramatic weather fronts

Dramatic conditions peak during autumn and winter storms (September-March), though Iceland can deliver drama year-round. The key is balancing dramatic weather with workable shooting conditions. Our forecast helps identify windows when storms have passed but interesting skies and waves remain. Always maintain safe distances from the waves at Reynisfjara and Diamond Beach—sneaker waves are genuinely dangerous.

Create your own Coastal Drama alerts

Get notified when these conditions match at your own locations.

Get this template

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Atlantic/Reykjavik
Next opportunity
Coastal Drama
Djúpalónssandur
Wed, Jan 14 · 12:00–17:00 · 5h window
Low confidence
25%
Coastal Drama
Djúpalónssandur
Wed, Jan 14 · 17:00–18:00
Medium
Coastal Drama
Djúpalónssandur
Wed, Jan 14 · 18:00–19:00
Low
Coastal Drama
Djúpalónssandur
Thu, Jan 15 · 13:00–14:00
Low

Conditions

72-hour forecast with pass/fail indicators

0 matching hours in the next 72 hours
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
Atlantic/Reykjavik
Coastal Drama Score
>= 75%
Precipitation Chance
<= 30%
Significant Wave Height
>= 1.5m
Visibility
>= 5000m
Wind Gusts
<= 22m/s
Fri, Jan 9 Sunrise 11:27 Sunset 15:58
19:00
15% 0% 1.9m 35780m 12m/s
20:00
15% 0% 1.9m 35440m 12m/s
21:00
14% 0% 1.8m 37580m 11m/s
22:00
12% 0% 1.8m 34600m 11m/s
23:00
12% 0% 1.7m 36020m 11m/s
Sat, Jan 10 Sunrise 11:25 Sunset 16:01
24:00
12% 0% 1.7m 50000m 11m/s
01:00
15% 0% 1.7m 33940m 10m/s
02:00
13% 0% 1.6m 40600m 9.4m/s
03:00
14% 0% 1.6m 50000m 9.4m/s
04:00
14% 0% 1.5m 50000m 10m/s
05:00
9.3% 0% 1.5m 42620m 10m/s
06:00
9.9% 0% 1.4m 50000m 9.1m/s
07:00
7.7% 0% 1.4m 19500m 5.7m/s
08:00
8.1% 0% 1.4m 21020m 5.4m/s
09:00
10% 0% 1.3m 50000m 5.4m/s
10:00
23% 0% 1.3m 20740m 5.2m/s
11:00
28% 0% 1.3m 20320m 4.2m/s
12:00
24% 0% 1.2m 22280m 4.3m/s
13:00
24% 0% 1.2m 22980m 4.4m/s
14:00
26% 0% 1.2m 21660m 4.6m/s
15:00
26% 0% 1.2m 21800m 5.2m/s
16:00
23% 1% 1.2m 50000m 5.2m/s
17:00
19% 1% 1.2m 50000m 5.4m/s
18:00
20% 2% 1.2m 50000m 5.3m/s
19:00
6.9% 3% 1.2m 50000m 4.6m/s
20:00
9.9% 3% 1.2m 26920m 4.5m/s
21:00
8.3% 4% 1.2m 28500m 4.2m/s
22:00
8.3% 4% 1.3m 29980m 4.3m/s
23:00
9.1% 4% 1.3m 50000m 5.2m/s
Sun, Jan 11 Sunrise 11:22 Sunset 16:04
24:00
6.9% 4% 1.4m 38820m 6.2m/s
01:00
5.9% 5% 1.4m 50000m 6.5m/s
02:00
6.9% 6% 1.4m 50000m 6.4m/s
03:00
8.9% 6% 1.4m 28200m 5.5m/s
04:00
5.7% 6% 1.5m 28900m 5.7m/s
05:00
9.7% 5% 1.6m 31120m 6.1m/s
06:00
16% 4% 1.7m 31720m 6.6m/s
07:00
12% 3% 1.8m 30560m 6.5m/s
08:00
11% 3% 1.8m 28240m 6.4m/s
09:00
32% 2% 1.9m 50000m 6.5m/s
10:00
31% 2% 2m 27900m 6.5m/s
11:00
34% 2% 2m 50000m 5.8m/s
12:00
44% 2% 2m 38530m 7.5m/s
13:00
57% 2% 2.1m 38520m 9.2m/s
14:00
54% 2% 2.1m 44975m 9.7m/s
15:00
41% 2% 2.2m 14260m 11m/s
16:00
38% 1% 2.3m 5160m 12m/s
17:00
37% 0% 2.4m 7440m 13m/s
18:00
40% 0% 2.5m 13060m 14m/s
19:00
15% 1% 2.7m 44240m 15m/s
20:00
14% 3% 2.9m 29440m 16m/s
21:00
21% 4% 3m 54320m 17m/s
22:00
16% 4% 3m 15580m 18m/s
23:00
13% 3% 2.9m 54340m 18m/s
Mon, Jan 12 Sunrise 11:20 Sunset 16:07
24:00
16% 2% 2.8m 54300m 18m/s
01:00
17% 1% 2.8m 21740m 19m/s
02:00
17% 0% 2.7m 21040m 20m/s
03:00
16% 0% 2.7m 13380m 20m/s
04:00
15% 1% 2.6m 17660m 20m/s
05:00
17% 3% 2.5m 23780m 20m/s
06:00
14% 4% 2.3m 36220m 20m/s
07:00
15% 5% 2.3m 48580m 18m/s
08:00
15% 6% 2.3m 49740m 17m/s
09:00
46% 6% 2.3m 47440m 16m/s
10:00
44% 5% 2.2m 47440m 16m/s
11:00
50% 5% 2.2m 47720m 15m/s
12:00
48% 4% 2.1m 47320m 15m/s
13:00
48% 5% 2m 53520m 15m/s
14:00
34% 5% 1.9m 53520m 15m/s
15:00
35% 6% 1.8m 53520m 15m/s
16:00
35% 6% 1.7m 47500m 16m/s
17:00
34% 5% 1.6m 50560m 16m/s
18:00
- 4% 1.6m 50280m 16m/s
How to read: colored cells show whether each rule requirement is met; highlighted rows mean all requirements match (an opportunity).

Get Notified of Opportunities

Create your own custom alerts for this location and more.

Create Free Account