Iceland and NASA intensify weather measurements during eclipse

Iceland’s Meteorological Office and NASA carried out extensive measurements during the total solar eclipse to study its effects on weather in Iceland, mbl.is reported.

The Icelandic office increased the resolution of measurements at instruments in western Iceland and launched more weather balloons into the stratosphere than usual.

“It will be exciting to see what effect this had on the weather here,” said Birta Líf Kristinsdóttir, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

Results from the day’s measurements are expected soon. Satellites operated by the office also closely monitored conditions, and images will be published shortly, Kristinsdóttir said.

NASA also conducted extensive measurements throughout the day. According to Kristinsdóttir, the US space agency launched balloons every 30 minutes, allowing its data to be compared with Iceland’s measurements.

The best weather conditions were in the Westfjords, in line with forecasts. In southwest Iceland, there was uncertainty over whether the eclipse would pass between rain showers. In the end, the total eclipse passed almost directly through the middle of a shower.