Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Iceland isn´t as cold as it sounds. Temperatures are moderate year-round. Average July temperatures are around 10°C, and the north and east are often the warmest parts in the summer. Snow is not of too much inconvenience and only settles intermittently in the south but tends to stay longer in the north. However, you can find excellent winter skiing areas on higher ground outside many towns. Average January temperatures in Reykjavík, at around zero, are in fact higher than those in New York.