A thunderstorm hit south Iceland yesterday and people reported regular flashes of lighting all the way from Eyrarbakki in the south to Borgarfjördur in the west. Reykjavík residents also saw lighting—a very rare weather phenomenon in Iceland.

Rainfall in the southern highlands. Photo: Páll Stefánsson.

“It is rare and it is even rarer to see it from the city,” confirmed meteorologist Teitur Arason at the Icelandic Meteorological Office to Fréttabladid.

Arason explained lightning is often created in a heavy downpour after a cold front. On Tuesday night, a cold front was passing over the country, which was followed by colder and more unstable air, which created yesterday’s downpour and the thunderstorm.

Arason said it isn’t clear how many flashes of lighting there were but he saw at least five from the window of the Meteorological Office.

Today a storm is forecast in Iceland with strong gusts of wind that could reach speeds of up to 40 meters per second in the worst places, such as below Mt. Hafnarfjall near Borgarnes.

The storm is expected to hit south Iceland in the afternoon and last until nightfall. It will be accompanied by heavy rain.