WEATHER IN ICELAND - CLIMATE IN ICELAND

It is the sad and unfortunate truth that many people believe that due to its name, the weather in Iceland is cold, dark, icy which is not worth visiting. However, this could not be further from the truth. The weather in Iceland, the 'land of ice and fire' is one of the best parts about this little island nation. The reason behind this misunderstanding is that the original founders of Iceland so enjoyed the climate and weather, that they sought to protect their little paradise and wanted to deter people from coming. So they played a trick on the world and named it Iceland and gave Greenland a much more enticing name, thereby keeping Iceland to themselves. Luckily, today we know that the names are actually changed and we do not get carried away by the tricks of the Vikings. Check the WEATHER FORECAST IN ICELAND.

 

But then is it true that the climate in Iceland is not as cold as we imagine? Why? There is a simple answer to this question: the temperate Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is formed off the coasts of Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula, where the currents of the the Atlantic Ocean meet those of the Gulf of Mexico. This current circles almost half the planet in a circle of 20,000 kilometers. Its strength is probably more than two million tons of coal burned in one minute. The difference in water temperature in the Gulf Stream and the rest of the ocean is about 7-9 degrees between Iceland and England. This current is the reason that the climate in Iceland is oceanic, that is, temperate.

With its northern position, Iceland has a much milder climate than we think, especially in winter. If the Gulf Stream changed its direction or cooled more than ten degrees, Iceland would become an uninhabitable island. But now we can compare Icelandic winters to winters in Germany and central Europe in general.

The average annual temperature of the capital, Reykjavík is 5 ° C, with the average temperature in January being about -0.5 ° C and in July 11-12 ° C. Weather in Iceland varies incredibly which has generated many popular sayings. For example the Icelanders will tell you on a rainy and cloudy morning: "So you don't like the weather in Iceland? Well, there is no need to worry, wait five minutes and it will change. In Iceland we don't have a certain climate, we have them all at once! "

As much as possible you have to be prepared. Only in one day you will be able to appreciate all the meteorological phenomena: sun, rain, snow and wind. Temperatures are not predictable, in summer you have to be prepared to go out with a winter jacket, but do not forget the shorts, since there could also be days of 25-28 degrees.

The climate in Iceland also offers beautiful phenomena such as the Northern Lights or the rainbows so big and beautiful, that they can only be enjoyed there. The Northern Lights (or Icelandic polar lights) can be seen from fall to early spring, as long as the sky is clear, dark, and temperatures are low. You just need a little luck to enjoy this magical phenomenon.

When it comes to the hours of the sun, you should not be so pessimistic either. It is true that during winter there are some days with very few hours a day when it is really sunny, but for example in mid-February at nine there is already light (full day) and the sun sets around five-thirty. In summer there are days without sunrise (days without nights). If we average light for each day throughout the year, we end up with almost 15 hours of light per day. What do you think? This average is much higher than most other places on our planet. Not too bad either, no ;-)