Climate of Iceland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The climate of Iceland is cold oceanic (Köppen climate classification: Cfc) near the coast and tundra in the interior highlands. The island’s position in the North Atlantic ensures that it lies in the path of the North Atlantic Current, which makes the climate of the island more temperate than may be expected of its latitude. This effect is aided by the Irminger Current, which also helps to moderate the island’s temperature. The weather in Iceland can be notoriously variable. The aurora borealis is often visible at night time during the winter.
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[edit] Seasons
[edit] Summer
The average July temperature in the southern part of the island is above 10°C (10-13 C°). Warm summer days can reach 20–25ºC. The highest temperature recorded was 30,5°C in the Eastern fords in 1939. Annual average sunshine hours in Reykjavik are around 1150, which is similar to many places in Northern Europe. In the last 10 years the summers have been getting warmer [1]
[edit] Winds and storms
The large majority of winds are easterlies. Westerlies are very infrequent. Generally speaking, wind speeds tend to be higher in the highlands, but topographical features can aggravate winds and cause strong gusts in lowland areas. The average wind speed peaks at around 50 ms–1. The average storm wind speed is 18 ms–1. Heavy dust storms can be generated by strong glacial winds, and can be very strong. Up to 10 tons of material can be in motion per transect per hour. These storms are very frequent in the early summer in the arid highland areas north of the Vatnajökull glacier.
Thunderstorms are extremely rare in Iceland, with less than five storms per year in the southern part of the island. They are most common in late summertime. They can be caused by warm air masses coming up from the continent, or deep lows from the southwest in wintertime. Lightning can usually be observed in connection with ash plumes erupting from the island’s volcanoes.[1]
[edit] Atmospheric pressure
There is a permanent area of low pressure near Iceland, aptly named The Icelandic Low, found between Iceland and Greenland. This area affects the amount of air brought into the Arctic to the east of the spot, and the amount coming out of the Arctic to the west of the spot. This area is part of a greater pressure system known as the North Atlantic Oscillation.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The dynamic climate of Iceland – A brief description of the country’s climate (with maps)
- Reykjavík, Iceland Forecast: Weather Underground – Weather forecast for Reykjavík
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