The air pressure at the weather observation station at Stórhöfði in the Westman Islands, south of Iceland, measured 972.8 hPa at 9 pm yesterday evening and has never been as low in Iceland in July.
The Westman Islands. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
At 10 pm an automatic barometer showed that the air pressure at Stórhöfði had dropped even further, to 972.4 hPa. However, these numbers are unconfirmed, Morgunblaðið reports.
The previous air pressure record in Iceland in July was set at Stykkishólmur in West Iceland on July 18, 1901, when it measured 974.1 hPa.
The deep depression that crossed the country last weekend broke the wind speed record for July.
The wind speed at Stórhöfði reached 37.1 meters per second at 9 pm on Saturday evening. The previous record at Stórhöfði in July was 35 meters per second on July 21, 1963.
At Hvammur below the Eyjafjöll mountain range in South Iceland, one squall reached almost 40 meters per second.
The wave height at Bakkafjara in South Iceland interrupted the schedule of the Westman Islands ferry Herjólfur but all passengers on waiting lists and all vehicles awaiting transport were brought ashore in the ferry’s last two crossings last night.
Meanwhile, the 23rd Icelandic National Scout Convention, which is held every three years, opened at the campground by Úlfljótsvatn Lake in South Iceland in wet but warm conditions yesterday.
President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson promised better weather to the almost 3,000 attendees in his opening address and afterwards pop star Páll Óskar warmed up the crowd with his performance.
Click here to read more about the storm that hit the country last weekend.
ESA
