The sun and the rain. In Iceland you can get a taste of both in the very same minute. PIC Jonathan
Admittedly this is not information commonly requested by tourists visiting Iceland. Most of you are not visiting this country for the warmth and sunshine. However, you might be interested to know there is quite a difference in the weather on this small island. Difference that can make your holiday so much more better, or worse.
No matter where you go in Iceland, locals always brag about the local weather. Talk to people from Akureyri and every one will take an oath to Akureyri enjoying the very nicest weather in the whole of Iceland. Then stop and speak to locals in Hornafjordur and you will get the same answer. Seems the weather is nice everywhere at every time.[blockquote type=”blockquote_line” align=”right”]weather in winter is more chaotic than Rob Ford on steroids[/blockquote]
Which, of course, is nonsense.
By nice weather we are discussing weather during summertime since the weather in winter is more chaotic than Rob Ford on steroids. You might shrug and say only people with nothing to talk about talk about the weather. But we have a damn good reason. The difference between a really nice and a memorable picnic and a horrible day out is the ever-changing weather. A case in point is the month of June 2014 when snow fell overnight in the highland while campers in the Westfjords area and the South had to seek shelter from thundering rain and sleet for five straight days. Yup, weather here is nothing to play with at anytime.
The local met office does not really keep detailed data on which part of the country generally has the most hours of sunlight or the warmest temperature on average. One can get info on specific months in specific years but a complete picture over time is not available.
Thus, Team Total Iceland will give you the gut feeling from decades of experience.
A good rule of thumb is that when the wind blows from the South you will almost without fail enjoy warmth and sunlight in the North and East of Iceland. This does not mean those parts do not enjoy nice temperatures when the winds blow differently but generally speaking this is the case. On the contrary when the winds blow from North or Northeast you will, more than likely, enjoy nicer climate in the South and Southwest of the country. Should the God of wind blow from the West or Northwest expect overcast skies and lower temperatures overall.
Now, this is not scientific in the least and naturally other factors are at play. But should you want to follow the nicest possible weather this in general is a decent enough guide.
That said, one thing possibly true about boasts of people from Akureyri is that very often in the past 30 years or so that place has enjoyed more sunlight hours than others and as a consequence higher temperatures. However, that trend has been reversing itself lately and leveling out across the country. One can no longer, as used to be the case, take great weather in the North for granted.
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