Weather warnings prompt advice to stay indoors in western Iceland

Yellow and orange weather warnings are coming into effect across Iceland on Saturday, with forecaster Marcel de Vries advising people to avoid unnecessary trips in the worst-affected parts of the west. He told mbl.is that rain and strong winds are expected, but conditions are not forecast to reach the extremes seen earlier this week, when a roof panel blew off a house in Siglufjörður.

A deep, widespread low-pressure system near southern Greenland is driving the weather. Rain is expected through much of the day in western and southern Iceland, with temperatures around 7 to 10 degrees Celsius.

An orange warning will be in force for a time this afternoon in Breiðafjörður, a fjord, where winds could reach 28 metres per second, with gusts of up to 40 metres per second. De Vries particularly advised people to avoid unnecessary trips to northern Snæfellsnes late in the day.

A yellow warning for the capital area begins at 3 p.m. and remains in effect into the evening. South-easterly and southerly winds of 13 to 20 metres per second are expected, strongest in higher-lying neighbourhoods. Sudden gusts may occur around high-rise buildings, loose objects could be blown away, and periods of heavy rain are forecast.

De Vries said conditions in the city should be manageable, but urged people to take care.