East Iceland revels in warm weather while West battles violent storms: a tale of two climates in one nation

In East Iceland, people are enjoying sunshine and warm weather, while in the west, violent weather is causing trees to be uprooted. The pleasant weather continues in East Iceland with a forecast of 20-degrees Celsius and sun. Campsites across the region are filled with people enjoying the weather.

In contrast, the weather in West Iceland is dramatically different. Weather warnings are in place due to heavy rainfall and the threat of landslides. The Icelandic Meteorological Office has warned of increased water levels and landslides in the area. Despite the bad weather, local residents remain undeterred and continue to enjoy their weekend festivities.

In the town of Þingeyri, strong winds uprooted trees, one of which fell on the house of local artist and theatre director, Marsibil G. Kristjánsdóttir. She described the weather as extremely harsh, with roaring winds and heavy rain. The situation has improved, with locals now cleaning up the debris left by the storm.

In North Iceland, the weather is warm like in the east, but there are concerns about potential flooding due to melting snow in the mountains. Photos from Dalvík show the increased water levels in the Svarfaðardalsá river, worrying golfers that the river might flood their golf course.

In Kópavogur, in the South, around 3000 girls aged 8 to 12 are participating in a football tournament. Despite the less than ideal weather, the mood among the participants remains high. “We’ve been telling ourselves that the weather could always be worse, and it doesn’t seem to affect the girls at all. Everyone is happy and if anything, this just gives them more energy,” says Björk Hólm Þorsteinsdóttir, a mother of one of the participants.