Weather in Iceland

Weather in Iceland

Veður á Íslandi

I am not joking when I say we don't get weather in Iceland...
We get samples of it.

Ok you got me. I am joking.

But it's kind of true.
In one summers day we may have
Rain
Wind
Sleet
Snow
Sun
No wind at all
And beautiful sunsets like this one taken at Seljalandsfoss last summer with my family.


This does of course lead to the development of sayings like
There's no such thing as bad weather
Only the wrong clothing.
 Meaning you have to dress for the weather.
If the weather in Iceland is effecting you in such a way that you feel you have to complain about it, well then, you're doing it wrong.

And you have to pay attention to he weather forecast.
It is definitely not a time waster.

Weather forecast in Iceland

Here we have the national weather forecast office.
"Veðurstofa Íslands"

It gives the most accurate information possible on the weather and updates regularly over the day.
The weather is also updated on the radio every hour on the hour and then we have a thorough forecast for the next few days on the news in the evenings.

The Icelandic meteorological office has a  website in English that I recommend people check out if they are going to travel in Iceland, especially if they are heading off the beaten path.

Icelandic language and the Weather in Iceland

Off the top of my head I can recall these words for snow.
Different types of snow.

Snjór - generic term for snow
Hagl - hail
Él - blizzard snow
Drífa - big flakes in a blizzard
Fönn - White snow
Mjöll - White snow
Slydda - Wet snow, almost rain
Klaki - frozen snow
Krap - half melted Ice

This picture is taken in Þórsmörk near Reykjavik. It is just a 10 minute drive from Reykjavik and there are pine forests and lava fields, rivers, fields, barbeque facilities, play areas and much more.

And here are some Icelandic weather words and phrases

Gott veður - good weather
Sól - sun
rigning - rain
vindur - wind
skýjað - cloud cover
súld - looming cloud cover
Sól og blíða - sun and still winds
Hvernig er veðrið? - How is the weather?

Picture perfect weather in Iceland

Anyone who has spent any time in Iceland will agree with me that although it may not always be perfect, it will leave you awestruck.
It can be dangerous and beautiful all at the same time.

That means you want to have your camera ready at all times.

This is a picture I took at Jökulsárlón while driving around with the family.

As is the one where my daughters foot is in the shot.
It was a pretty day with lots of nice light.
I love Iceland.