![Iceland winter conditions
[Update] Check out the TV’s report on the weather. Just click play. You may not understand the language, but you can see what the weather is like in Reykjavík and on the road to the airport. Not every day that you see snowcats driving around downtown.
As I posted before, Iceland has had a serious winter this year. Somehow it just keeps getting worse and worse or better and better. Depends on your point of view. A significant part of Icelanders are completely snowed in today. In Reykjavík, only the largest streets have been cleared forcing many to either stay at home or walk or ski to work. Even many schools have been encouraging parents to keep their children home for the day. This I can tell you is very unusual, it’s not like in much of the US where schools simply close on snow days. Icelandic kids usually just march on to school, no matter the weather.
The map above shows the state of the roads at the moment, according to the Icelandic Road Authority. As you see, there are no clear roads in the country.
Green = Clear
Yellow = Patches of ice
Light Blue = Icy
Dark Blue = Crazy slippery
White = Snow
Pink = More snow
Black = Very much snow
Red = Impassable
Truck = We’re working on it
Crossing arrows = snow blowing in the wind
It is normal, that all of the roads in the middle of the country (the Highlands) are red. They are usually impassable from sometime early in the fall and until mid June. However, most of the rest should be open and either clear or icy on a normal day winter day.
Some major roads, such as the road between Reykjavík and the Keflavík Airport were closed today. As you can see on the pic to the right, it is open now, but the Police is discouraging people from using it. This has caused some flight delays in the past 24 hours.
In Vestfirðir, the north western part of Iceland, you see virtually all the roads are closed (red). That is actually the smallest of their problems, because they are worried about avalanches. Many of the roads are closed due to avalanche risk and some of the towns are on alert for evacuation of some neighborhoods. In 1995, dozens of people died in a series of avalanches that hit towns in that area. This is Iceland’s greatest natural disaster in the past couple of centuries.
Plenty of people have been making good use of the snow though. The skiing area in Bláfjöll just outside Reykjavík, has been bustling with activity and great conditions in the past few days. Many have also been enjoying mountain ski trips around Reykjavík. Here are some great pictures from a few friends of mine skiing on Móskarðshnjúkar, a mountain right on the city limits.
Would be great to hear from tourists enjoying Iceland right now. As long as your plans are not too rigid, there’s plenty of fun possible.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyeosuQfQW1qdghoso1_1280.gif)
Iceland winter conditions
[Update] Check out the TV’s report on the weather. Just click play. You may not understand the language, but you can see what the weather is like in Reykjavík and on the road to the airport. Not every day that you see snowcats driving around downtown.
As I posted before, Iceland has had a serious winter this year. Somehow it just keeps getting worse and worse or better and better. Depends on your point of view. A significant part of Icelanders are completely snowed in today. In Reykjavík, only the largest streets have been cleared forcing many to either stay at home or walk or ski to work. Even many schools have been encouraging parents to keep their children home for the day. This I can tell you is very unusual, it’s not like in much of the US where schools simply close on snow days. Icelandic kids usually just march on to school, no matter the weather.
The map above shows the state of the roads at the moment, according to the Icelandic Road Authority. As you see, there are no clear roads in the country.
- Green = Clear
- Yellow = Patches of ice
- Light Blue = Icy
- Dark Blue = Crazy slippery
- White = Snow
- Pink = More snow
- Black = Very much snow
- Red = Impassable
- Truck = We’re working on it
- Crossing arrows = snow blowing in the wind
It is normal, that all of the roads in the middle of the country (the Highlands) are red. They are usually impassable from sometime early in the fall and until mid June. However, most of the rest should be open and either clear or icy on a normal day winter day.
Some major roads, such as the road between Reykjavík and the Keflavík Airport were closed today. As you can see on the pic to the right, it is open now, but the Police is discouraging people from using it. This has caused some flight delays in the past 24 hours.
In Vestfirðir, the north western part of Iceland, you see virtually all the roads are closed (red). That is actually the smallest of their problems, because they are worried about avalanches. Many of the roads are closed due to avalanche risk and some of the towns are on alert for evacuation of some neighborhoods. In 1995, dozens of people died in a series of avalanches that hit towns in that area. This is Iceland’s greatest natural disaster in the past couple of centuries.
Plenty of people have been making good use of the snow though. The skiing area in Bláfjöll just outside Reykjavík, has been bustling with activity and great conditions in the past few days. Many have also been enjoying mountain ski trips around Reykjavík. Here are some great pictures from a few friends of mine skiing on Móskarðshnjúkar, a mountain right on the city limits.
Would be great to hear from tourists enjoying Iceland right now. As long as your plans are not too rigid, there’s plenty of fun possible.
