Reynisfjara

Cold winter, warm Easter

Cold winter, warm Easter

This winter is the coldest of the century. The average temperature in Reykjavík in the coldest month, December, was just around -4°C / 24°F. It was colder in Reykjavík in the winter of 1994 – 1995. Easter, which is coming up, is one of the biggest travel weekends of the year. For travellers, it is best to go north, or to the northern parts of Austfirðir, where it is expected to be dry and warm. Even a little bit too warm, but double-digit plus numbers are forecast in the country’s main ski areas in the north for Easter. It doesn’t bode well, the snow that has fallen in the past few days will be wet, or just disappear from some of the slopes. In the south and west, the weather will be boring during Easter, warm but windy and heavy rain.

Before setting off on a long journey, it is a good idea to get information about the weather and conditions at umferdin.is, the website of Vegagerðin, and vedur.is, the website of the Icelandic Meteorological Office, both websites are in Icelandic and English. Here are some pictures, fragments of memories from a harsh winter.

A gray day (photograph taken in colour), Reynisfjara, Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla
Travellers in Reynisfjara, Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla

 

A lot of roads getting closed due to bad weather
A home in Ólafsfjörður, snow tunnel needed to get in and out
Siglufjörður’s main street
A brave skier by Dynjandi, in Vestur-Ísafjarðarsýsla
Iceland 03/04/2023 : A7R IV, RX1R II : FE 1.4/135mm GM, FE 1.2/50mm GM, 2.0/35mm Z, FE 2.8/100mm GM
Photographs and text: Páll Stefánsson