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Rule Coastal Drama

Dyrhólaey - Coastal Drama Forecast - Iceland

Vik, South, 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.

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Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Atlantic/Reykjavik

No opportunities in the next 14 days

See the blocker timeline above to understand which conditions are preventing matches.

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 10:47 Sunset 15:59
19:00
14% 16% 1.8m 50000m 15m/s
20:00
13% 17% 1.8m 50000m 13m/s
21:00
13% 18% 1.7m 50000m 11m/s
22:00
13% 20% 1.7m 50000m 11m/s
23:00
13% 22% 1.6m 48960m 10m/s
Sat, Jan 10 Sunrise 10:45 Sunset 16:02
24:00
13% 24% 1.6m 50000m 9.2m/s
01:00
13% 25% 1.6m 47480m 7.2m/s
02:00
13% 26% 1.5m 49320m 8.6m/s
03:00
9.5% 27% 1.5m 50000m 10m/s
04:00
9.5% 29% 1.4m 50000m 10m/s
05:00
8.5% 32% 1.4m 5100m 14m/s
06:00
7.1% 35% 1.3m 4420m 13m/s
07:00
9.9% 37% 1.3m 40900m 13m/s
08:00
9.3% 38% 1.3m 6520m 15m/s
09:00
29% 39% 1.3m 50000m 14m/s
10:00
29% 39% 1.2m 39420m 14m/s
11:00
32% 39% 1.2m 39580m 15m/s
12:00
32% 39% 1.2m 40620m 16m/s
13:00
32% 40% 1.2m 42560m 16m/s
14:00
30% 42% 1.1m 43460m 16m/s
15:00
28% 43% 1.1m 41780m 16m/s
16:00
32% 42% 1.1m 50000m 16m/s
17:00
25% 39% 1.1m 50000m 16m/s
18:00
25% 37% 1.1m 50000m 16m/s
19:00
7.1% 36% 1.1m 50000m 17m/s
20:00
7.1% 35% 1.2m 41460m 17m/s
21:00
9.1% 33% 1.2m 40820m 19m/s
22:00
6.7% 30% 1.3m 47040m 19m/s
23:00
6.7% 27% 1.3m 50000m 18m/s
Sun, Jan 11 Sunrise 10:43 Sunset 16:04
24:00
6.7% 25% 1.4m 46560m 18m/s
01:00
7.5% 24% 1.4m 50000m 19m/s
02:00
8.3% 25% 1.5m 50000m 19m/s
03:00
8.1% 24% 1.5m 43020m 19m/s
04:00
8.5% 21% 1.6m 40760m 20m/s
05:00
13% 17% 1.7m 39880m 21m/s
06:00
9.1% 14% 1.9m 4880m 21m/s
07:00
9.1% 13% 1.9m 1940m 21m/s
08:00
14% 13% 2m 40700m 20m/s
09:00
39% 14% 2m 50000m 19m/s
10:00
40% 15% 2.1m 39820m 19m/s
11:00
40% 17% 2.1m 50000m 17m/s
12:00
48% 18% 2.2m 42020m 15m/s
13:00
51% 17% 2.2m 47770m 14m/s
14:00
51% 16% 2.2m 55015m 11m/s
15:00
38% 14% 2.2m 75600m 5.5m/s
16:00
38% 12% 2.3m 75600m 2.5m/s
17:00
44% 9% 2.4m 75580m 1.4m/s
18:00
32% 8% 2.5m 75580m 2m/s
19:00
14% 9% 2.5m 75580m 2.3m/s
20:00
14% 11% 2.4m 75580m 2.4m/s
21:00
13% 12% 2.3m 75580m 2.6m/s
22:00
15% 13% 2.4m 75580m 2.8m/s
23:00
17% 13% 2.5m 75580m 2.6m/s
Mon, Jan 12 Sunrise 10:41 Sunset 16:07
24:00
12% 12% 2.6m 75580m 2.1m/s
01:00
13% 10% 2.6m 75480m 1.4m/s
02:00
13% 8% 2.6m 46020m 0.9m/s
03:00
13% 6% 2.5m 75480m 1.3m/s
04:00
14% 4% 2.4m 75580m 2.3m/s
05:00
11% 3% 2.4m 75580m 3.8m/s
06:00
12% 2% 2.3m 60460m 5m/s
07:00
12% 2% 2.3m 56880m 5.2m/s
08:00
12% 3% 2.3m 7960m 6m/s
09:00
29% 4% 2.3m 1900m 8.8m/s
10:00
30% 5% 2.3m 800m 11m/s
11:00
37% 7% 2.3m 2820m 12m/s
12:00
32% 8% 2.2m 6600m 13m/s
13:00
38% 8% 2.1m 14360m 15m/s
14:00
29% 8% 2m 2080m 15m/s
15:00
33% 8% 1.9m 17220m 16m/s
16:00
42% 7% 1.8m 20860m 16m/s
17:00
29% 6% 1.7m 11220m 18m/s
18:00
- 6% 1.7m 5840m 20m/s
How to read: colored cells show whether each rule requirement is met; highlighted rows mean all requirements match (an opportunity).

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