Major roads in the South West corner, including the Ring Road out of Reykjavík, both to West and North Iceland and to the South coast have been closed. Members of ICE-SAR have manned the closure gates and assisted drivers who have gotten into trouble due to the storm.
Read more: All roads out of Reykjavík closed due to storm, all major roads in Iceland expected to close soon
According to the National Broadcasting Service members of ICE-SAR are heading to Holtavörðuheiði to assist foreign travellers who ran into trouble trying to cross the heath. The Ring Road across Holtavörðuheiði heath, which separates West and North Iceland has now been closed by the IRCA. Other major heaths, mountain passes, and even large sections of the Ring Road are expected to close due to worsening weather conditions.
The local newspaper Fréttablaðið reports that more than 100 members of ICE-SAR have been called to duty in the Capital Region. Local ICE-SAR companies around the country are assisting people and manning road closures in their area.
Stay in your car if you get stuck
People are adviced to stay in their cars if they get stranded due to severe weather. DO NOT attempt to walk to safety. Unless you can actually see an occupied building you should stay in your vehicle until help arrives. People have died of exposure in Iceland trying to walk to safety in winter storms.
If you get stuck, call 112 with information about your location and then wait for help to arrive.
During the last storm to hit us a couple of travellers which had gotten stuck on the road on the east coast of Þingvallavatn lake on the Golden Circle did the right thing: The couple, a pregnant woman and her husband, waited in their small 4×4 for 20 hours until a park ranger found them.
Read more: Travellers, a man and his pregnant wife, spent 20 hours stuck in snow in their car at Þingvellir
You can watch the storm in the interactive map below:
Major roads in the South West corner, including the Ring Road out of Reykjavík, both to West and North Iceland and to the South coast have been closed. Members of ICE-SAR have manned the closure gates and assisted drivers who have gotten into trouble due to the storm.
Read more: All roads out of Reykjavík closed due to storm, all major roads in Iceland expected to close soon
According to the National Broadcasting Service members of ICE-SAR are heading to Holtavörðuheiði to assist foreign travellers who ran into trouble trying to cross the heath. The Ring Road across Holtavörðuheiði heath, which separates West and North Iceland has now been closed by the IRCA. Other major heaths, mountain passes, and even large sections of the Ring Road are expected to close due to worsening weather conditions.
The local newspaper Fréttablaðið reports that more than 100 members of ICE-SAR have been called to duty in the Capital Region. Local ICE-SAR companies around the country are assisting people and manning road closures in their area.
Stay in your car if you get stuck
People are adviced to stay in their cars if they get stranded due to severe weather. DO NOT attempt to walk to safety. Unless you can actually see an occupied building you should stay in your vehicle until help arrives. People have died of exposure in Iceland trying to walk to safety in winter storms.
If you get stuck, call 112 with information about your location and then wait for help to arrive.
During the last storm to hit us a couple of travellers which had gotten stuck on the road on the east coast of Þingvallavatn lake on the Golden Circle did the right thing: The couple, a pregnant woman and her husband, waited in their small 4×4 for 20 hours until a park ranger found them.
Read more: Travellers, a man and his pregnant wife, spent 20 hours stuck in snow in their car at Þingvellir
You can watch the storm in the interactive map below:
