July in Iceland was cold this year. The average temperature for the month in some spots was the lowest ever recorded in July at any Icelandic weather station.
The average temperature for July was below the ten-year average across the entire country: one degree below the July average in Reykjavík and three degrees below in Akureyri.
Meteorologist and blogger Trausti Jónsson points out that July 1993 was colder than this year, but that some specific locations in the country were even colder this July.
The lowest average July temperature was measured up on Gagnheiði, near Selfoss in South Iceland. There, the average temperature was a frosty 1.59°C. “That is the lowest average temperature ever seen in July at an Icelandic weather station,” Trausti says—noting, however, that the station at Gagnheiði did not exist until the year 1993.
Trausti says the lowest July figure from previous years was also from Gagnheiði in 1995, at 3°C. That was 1.4 degrees warmer than this year’s average, RÚV reports.
In addition to Met Office weather stations, Trausti has also monitored data from National Roads Administration stations this year. “The figures lowest place figures of all are lower even that the lowest July averages to date at Roads Administration stations. This was the coldest July that these stations have seen,” he writes.
Though some weather stations have broken records and averages were low across the whole country, Trausti notes that most stations have not broken their July cold records.
Following an unusually long, cold, stormy and snowing winter, Icelanders were disappointed that spring came late and was particularly cold. Summer so far has not been much better, though there has been some fine sunny weather, days have not been as hot as many would like. There is still winter snow in the highlands.
