Locals and tourists across Iceland have been enjoying a particularly warm spring. The Icelandic Met Office reports that in Reykjavík, Akureyri (North Iceland), and Stykkishólmur (West Iceland), this spring was the second warmest since record-keeping began. Egilsstaðir, East Iceland, experienced its ninth-warmest spring on record.
After last year’s unusually cold and rainy spring and summer, locals are no doubt relieved to be receiving quite pleasant weather in Iceland this year. Temperatures this April and May were well above average in many parts of the country, particularly the West and Southwest. In Reykjavík, temperatures were 2.5°C warmer than the average between 1961-1990 and 1.8°C warmer than the average of the past ten years.
In Akureyri, temperatures were 2.8°C warmer than the 1961-1990 average and 1.8°C warmer than the average of the past decade. In Stykkishólmur, temperatures were 2.7°C warmer than the 1961-1990 average for April and May, and 1.6°C warmer than the past decade’s average. In Egilsstaðir, they were 2°C warmer than the 1961-1990 average and 1°C warmer than the average of the past decade.
The past month has also been sunnier than average in Southwest Iceland. Reykjavík area residents enjoyed 236.8 hours of sunlight in May, which is 44.8 hours more than the 1961-1990 average. Most of the country has enjoyed drier weather than usual in May.
