The Ring Road between Seljalandsfoss waterfall and the village of Vík has been opened, but the road between Skaftafell visitor center in the Vatnajökull National Park and Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon remains closed. More than 50 travellers had to spend the night in Vík after being left stranded there by the storm.
Read more: Ring Road in S. Iceland closed between Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon
Ring Road to Jökulsárlón still closed
The storm has died down in West Iceland, but is expected to continue in S. and S.E. Iceland, although the weather has improved significantly in South Iceland. Travellers are nonetheless advised that conditions are still dangerous, with wind gusts exceeding 30 m/s (67 mph). ICE-SAR has issued a travel warning for the Ring Road east of Seljalandsfoss.
Very strong winds from Seljalandsfoss to Jökulsárlón (gusts exceeding 30 m/s)! Travel not recommended for light vehicles and motor-homes!
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority, as well as ICE-SAR stress that under no circumstance should people driving motor homes attempt to drive east of Seljalandsfoss. The wind gusts along the mountain sides of Eyjafjöll mountain range at the foothills of Eyjafjallajökull volcano, can easily blow RVs off the road, and cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles.
The storm is expected to continue in South East Iceland for the remainder of the day, and only slow down by tomorrow.
Before heading out:
- Check the weather and road conditions on all major roads at with the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration.
- Check the weather forecast with the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
- Check for travel alerts or warnings from ICE-SAR at safetravel.is.
- Remember that road conditions are different along the coast than on mountain or heath roads.
- Remember that individual wind gusts can become extremely powerful along steep mountain slopes.
- Remember that the Ring Road can become impassable due to storms, even during spring.
And finally: Buckle up, respect the speed limit and remember that Icelandic roads don't have shoulders: If you lose control of the vehicle for even just a short moment you can easily suffer a rollover. The leading cause of fatal road accidents among foreign travellers in Iceland are roll-overs where the driver or passengers are not buckled up.
The Ring Road between Seljalandsfoss waterfall and the village of Vík has been opened, but the road between Skaftafell visitor center in the Vatnajökull National Park and Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon remains closed. More than 50 travellers had to spend the night in Vík after being left stranded there by the storm.
Read more: Ring Road in S. Iceland closed between Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon
Ring Road to Jökulsárlón still closed
The storm has died down in West Iceland, but is expected to continue in S. and S.E. Iceland, although the weather has improved significantly in South Iceland. Travellers are nonetheless advised that conditions are still dangerous, with wind gusts exceeding 30 m/s (67 mph). ICE-SAR has issued a travel warning for the Ring Road east of Seljalandsfoss.
Very strong winds from Seljalandsfoss to Jökulsárlón (gusts exceeding 30 m/s)! Travel not recommended for light vehicles and motor-homes!
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority, as well as ICE-SAR stress that under no circumstance should people driving motor homes attempt to drive east of Seljalandsfoss. The wind gusts along the mountain sides of Eyjafjöll mountain range at the foothills of Eyjafjallajökull volcano, can easily blow RVs off the road, and cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles.
The storm is expected to continue in South East Iceland for the remainder of the day, and only slow down by tomorrow.
Before heading out:
- Check the weather and road conditions on all major roads at with the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration.
- Check the weather forecast with the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
- Check for travel alerts or warnings from ICE-SAR at safetravel.is.
- Remember that road conditions are different along the coast than on mountain or heath roads.
- Remember that individual wind gusts can become extremely powerful along steep mountain slopes.
- Remember that the Ring Road can become impassable due to storms, even during spring.
And finally: Buckle up, respect the speed limit and remember that Icelandic roads don't have shoulders: If you lose control of the vehicle for even just a short moment you can easily suffer a rollover. The leading cause of fatal road accidents among foreign travellers in Iceland are roll-overs where the driver or passengers are not buckled up.
