While the summer has been unusually cold in all of Iceland it has been particularly cold in Northern Iceland. And there is little indication temperatures are picking up in the near future: The Icelandic Met Office is forecasting temperatures in the single digits Celsius (5-10°C/40-50°F) for the rest of the week in Akureyri.
Still several degrees from being the coldest July on record
The average temperature in July has been less than 9°C (48°F). Trausti Jónsson, renowned Icelandic meteorologist and weather man, wrote on his blog last week that this looks to be the seventh coldest July in the past 67 years. The coldest July was in 1970, when the average temperature in Akureyri was only 6.9°C (44.4°F).
Trausti points out in his blog post that Eastern Iceland has also experienced a unusually cold summer. In fact, the lowest measurements for July, for any weather station in a city or town is in Egilsstaðir town, in Eastern Iceland, where the average temperature in July has been 7.6°C (45.7°F). Temperatures in July have only twice been lower since reliable measurements began.
Colder weather – more whales
While travellers looking for sun and summer weather might not find what they are looking for in Akureyri, those searching for whales are in luck. According to operators of whale-watching boats in Akureyri this year has been unusually good in Eyjafjörður bay.
Magnús Guðjónsson, manager Ambassador Whale Watching, told local newspaper Morgunblaðið that there are unusually many whales in the bay, and that they are also keeping further in. At least two, and as many as twelve Humpback whales have been spotted in each trip since May.
Magnús believes the reason is that there is more feed for the whales in the bay than usual. In addition to more whales than usual, there are more seabirds. The bay is full of life, according to Morgunblaðið.
While the summer has been unusually cold in all of Iceland it has been particularly cold in Northern Iceland. And there is little indication temperatures are picking up in the near future: The Icelandic Met Office is forecasting temperatures in the single digits Celsius (5-10°C/40-50°F) for the rest of the week in Akureyri.
Still several degrees from being the coldest July on record
The average temperature in July has been less than 9°C (48°F). Trausti Jónsson, renowned Icelandic meteorologist and weather man, wrote on his blog last week that this looks to be the seventh coldest July in the past 67 years. The coldest July was in 1970, when the average temperature in Akureyri was only 6.9°C (44.4°F).
Trausti points out in his blog post that Eastern Iceland has also experienced a unusually cold summer. In fact, the lowest measurements for July, for any weather station in a city or town is in Egilsstaðir town, in Eastern Iceland, where the average temperature in July has been 7.6°C (45.7°F). Temperatures in July have only twice been lower since reliable measurements began.
Colder weather – more whales
While travellers looking for sun and summer weather might not find what they are looking for in Akureyri, those searching for whales are in luck. According to operators of whale-watching boats in Akureyri this year has been unusually good in Eyjafjörður bay.
Magnús Guðjónsson, manager Ambassador Whale Watching, told local newspaper Morgunblaðið that there are unusually many whales in the bay, and that they are also keeping further in. At least two, and as many as twelve Humpback whales have been spotted in each trip since May.
Magnús believes the reason is that there is more feed for the whales in the bay than usual. In addition to more whales than usual, there are more seabirds. The bay is full of life, according to Morgunblaðið.
