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One day you play football on the empty streets of Iceland and next day there is ten inches of snow. That is Iceland. PIC Helgi Halldórsson/Freddi

Q uite a lot of foreigners in Iceland wonder why the locals so often talk about the weather. Usually small talk about weather is a pretty good indication that people have nothing to talk about. Alas, that is not the case here.

The difference being that the locals, unlike you, live on this barren island in the middle of the Atlantic. You would do well in heeding local advice about the weather for it has quite dramatic effect on our lives spring, summer, fall and winter. Do not let the shining July sun fool you for a minute.

Those who know Iceland are aware that a beautiful day with clear skies everywhere can in a few minutes turn into a raging blizzard. No matter if in January or August.

Not that long ago it snowed in towns in the East and North of the country in middle of July. The month of September can be 30 days of snow but it can also be 30 days of almost Mallorca temperatures. Well, perhaps not Mallorca but you get our drift.

Even if snow is not a worry the wind factor is. Iceland is bare to the elements from all directions and strong winds going over the country only pick up speed over the highlands. In those conditions parts of the Ring road around the country can be very hazardous for winds can pick up cars and throw them around like matchsticks.

Perhaps the best description we can give you about the possible weather conditions at all times in this country is the fact that locals shake their heads and shrug each time there is supposedly massive storm, hurricane or typhoon going over the States or other places in the world. After all, wind speeds in Iceland can often reach 30 plus m/s without much fanfare and 33 m/s is when a typhoon turns formally into a hurricane and levels whole counties in other places on earth.

So stop with the jokes about us having nothing to talk about 🙂

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