New Information (5th February, 2 PM): A Red Weather Warning has been issued for nearly all of Iceland due to severe weather conditions. Strong winds, with gusts reaching up to 50 m/s, are expected, particularly affecting the northern regions of the country.
Iceland has been experiencing extreme weather patterns this winter, with frequent and extreme fluctuations that often disturb transportation both on land and in the air. Yet another low-pressure zone is about to hit the island today, Wednesday, February 5th, bringing extreme wind, heat, and rain.
The Icelandic MET Office (www.vedur.is) has issued an orange weather warning for the whole country from this afternoon and flights to and from Iceland have been cancelled.
"This is not a good forecast and probably the worst weather of the year. Especially when you consider that this covers the whole country," says Katrín Agla Tómasdóttir, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Met Office."We are prepared and have been coordinating actions and are having a meeting with the Met Office today to monitor the progress of the weather. Mostly, however, our work is about coordinating the police departments. But it will be a lot of testing over the next 24 hours if the forecast is correct," says Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir, information officer at the Department of Civil Protection.
Icelandair has cancelled 38 flights to and from Iceland today Wednesday and tomorrow, Thursday the 6th, and Play Airlines has also cancelled all but three of its scheduled flights from Keflavík International Airport. Rescue teams are preparing, especially in Eyjafjörður in Northern Iceland, the fjord where the town of Akureyri is situated, where the weather is supposed to be one of the worst.
The image above shows the wind forecast for 5 pm Wednesday, February 5th. More details can be found at www.vedur.is
Weather warning in Iceland
An orange weather warning in Iceland is the second-highest alert level issued by the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). It signifies severe weather conditions that can cause significant disruptions and pose dangers to people, travel, and infrastructure.
The IMO uses a three-tier warning system:
- Yellow Warning – Potentially hazardous weather; people should stay informed and exercise caution.
- Orange Warning – Severe weather with significant disruptions; travel may be affected, and precautions should be taken.
- Red Warning – Extreme, dangerous weather; travel is strongly discouraged, and emergency measures may be necessary.
Residents and travelers are advised to monitor updates from the Icelandic MET Office and follow safety recommendations. For real-time information, visit www.vedur.is.
Source: www.mbl.is and www.vedur.is
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