All kindergartens and elementary schools in Reykjavík will be closed on Friday due to extreme weather, RÚV reports, as will schools in Suðurnes and throughout South Iceland. As of Thursday afternoon, most upper secondary schools in the capital had announced closures and the University of Iceland and University of Reykjavík also announced that their Friday classes would be cancelled. The closures come as a result of a red weather alert issued by the Icelandic Met Office.
All doctor’s appointments at local health clinics in Reykjavík are cancelled on Friday, although the clinics will be open and minimally staffed for emergency situations. Similarly, the National and University Hospital has indicated on its website that patients who have booked outpatient procedures are asked to abide by the directives of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management and delay their visit until the weather has abated. Patients can contact Landspítali at 543-1000 to rebook their appointments, or else be in touch via the online chat portal on the homepage of the hospital’s website.
All bus service within the greater Reykjavík area will be cancelled on Friday. Strætó will issue further service updates on its website between 10 and 11am. There will be no mail delivery on Friday anywhere that a red weather alert is in effect. Conditions will be assessed in those parts of the country where an orange alert has been issued, but widespread postal service interruptions are expected.
The Greater Reykjavík Area is expected to see “violent east winds … with [a] sustained wind speed [of] 28-35 m/s and violent and dangerous wind gust [that] may exceed 55 m/s near [the] mountains south of Borgarfjörður.” Somewhat calmer winds are expected in the northern part of the area. The Met Office predicts poor visibility, elevated sea levels due to storm surge, and a risk of damage from flying debris. Travelling while the weather alert is in effect is strongly discouraged; roads to and from the greater Reykjavík area were closed on Thursday night and are expected to remain so until Friday afternoon at the earliest.
