Ring Road 1, between Vík in Mýrdalur and Kirkjubæjarklaustur in West Skaftafell County, is closed due to floods. An enormous amount of water is now coming from Mýrdalsjökull due to disturbances beneath the glacier. Water is flowing over the road and has damaged it over a section about one kilometer long, near the Skálm river. This is the fourth major flood from Mýrdalsjökull since Katla last erupted in a major eruption in 1918. The Road Administration has started repairs on the road. Although Mýrdalsjökull has not erupted in one hundred and six years, there have been two eruptions in the area, both in 2010, when Eyjafjallajökull and Fimmvörduháls erupted. Few volcanoes are as closely monitored by the Icelandic Meteorological Office as Katla. Therefore, when it does erupt, it will be a major eruption, very large, and will have an impact across the entire country.
Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla 28/07/
Photos (and from Vegagerðinni) & text : Páll Stefánsson
