The Icelandic Meteorological Office has released weather statistics for the previous year, indicating that 2023 was a relatively calm year regarding weather patterns. Throughout the year, 311 warnings were issued, including 280 yellow warnings, 31 orange warnings, and no red warnings. This is a significant difference from the previous year when the Meteorological Office issued 456 warnings, including 372 yellow warnings, 74 orange warnings, and 10 red warnings. Red warnings are typically reserved for severe weather conditions which may have a catastrophic impact on society.
Last year, the most common weather warning was for wind, accounting for 181 warnings, followed by hail with 99 warnings, sleet with 14 warnings, rain with 13 warnings, and snowfall with 4 warnings. The region with the fewest weather warnings was the capital region, with only 15 warnings, followed by the East Fjords, with 18 warnings. The area with the most weather warnings was North West Iceland, with 35 warnings, one more than the West Fjords.
Photographs & text: Páll Stefánsson
