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Travel

A sorry summer in Reykjavik

July 6, 2018

While in other parts of Northern Europe, especially Britain and Scandinavia, a heat wave is expected to continue well into July, in Iceland this summer has been gray and wet. This also hurts tourism in Reykjavik.

https://p.dw.com/p/30tFC
Island Regenbogen
Image: picture alliance/prisma/F. Frommenwiler

The stark contrast is no coincidence. High pressure over western Europe alters the jet stream and pushes clouds and rain over the continent's northern posts, causing foul weather in the North Atlantic island nation.

Island Wetter
People defy the bad weather and go for a swim in ReykjavikImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Bjarnason

During June, the month of midnight sun and camping holidays in Iceland, sunshine touched the capital Reykjavik for a total of 70 hours. The temperature reached 13.2 degrees Celsius (56 F) on the warmest day, two degrees shy of Reykjavik's average for the month. In May, it rained every single day. Summer's delayed arrival has spurred a weather forecast obsession and constant disappointment in the world's northernmost capital city.

Summer is Iceland's main tourist season and many travelers sleep in tents during their stays. The Laugardalur campsite in Reykjavik is seeing slightly fewer guests than in previous years. But manager Oddvar Arnason observed that "most people don't change their means of accommodation after arrival and simply adjust."

Island schlechtes Wetter
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Bjarnason

Alex Moreno, a 17-year-old camper from Granada in Spain, said he found the brisk climate more pleasant than the boiling weather at home. "Just put on a jacket and it's fine here," he said.

Egill Bjarnason (AP)