Meteorologist calls for wind gauge after Siglufjörður storm

A meteorologist has urged the Icelandic Meteorological Office to install a wind gauge where the strongest gusts hit Siglufjörður, after a severe storm struck the town on Wednesday morning. Einar Sveinbjörnsson made the call in an interview with mbl.is.

The storm hit at about 11 a.m. and took many by surprise, but Sveinbjörnsson said such winds are not unusual in the fjord. He cited similar events on September 19, 2023, October 20, 2021, September 21, 2016, and twice in 2013. “The history books are full of cases like this,” he said.

The mountain range east of the fjord, between Siglufjörður and Héðinsfjörður, usually provides shelter in relatively light easterly winds. But when winds become strong enough at mountain height, they can descend into the fjord in powerful gusts, he said. The phenomenon can occur in northeasterly winds and is familiar to local residents.

The strongest winds are not felt across the whole town, but mainly in its northern part, above and north of the spit of land, Sveinbjörnsson said. He also named Reyðarfjörður, Eskifjörður, Fáskrúðsfjörður and Seyðisfjörður as places where similar conditions can occur in westerly winds, though he said they are much more common in Siglufjörður.

Reports that gusts reached 55 metres per second did not come from the Meteorological Office. Its wind gauge is at the innermost end of the fjord and does not capture the strongest winds, Sveinbjörnsson said. He argued that a gauge should be installed at the affected location, saying that if winds are not measured, people may not know they are occurring unless they experience them.

The office issued an orange warning for the Strandir and Northwest Iceland forecast area. Sveinbjörnsson said conditions in Siglufjörður came close to warranting a red warning and called for more localised, colour-coded alerts.