The weather in November was sharply divided, with record-breaking warmth in the first half of the month followed by a significant cold spell in the latter half.
Weather decidedly split
There was little focus on climate-related matters during the recent parliamentary elections in Iceland. Some have speculated that this may have been due to the post-pandemic inflation and the rising cost of living, which overshadowed the issue of global warming.
Temperatures in Iceland during November—the month of the elections—were, meanwhile, noticeably extreme; a recent post on the Icelandic Meteorological Office website characterised the weather in November as “decidedly split.”
The first half of November brought “unseasonable warmth” nationwide, with many weather stations recording the highest average temperatures ever for the first 14 days of the month, the MET Office notes. Around mid-November, however, northerly winds took over, leading to a sharp drop in temperatures, with readings well below average through the remainder of the month.
Unseasonable warmth
These unseasonably warm conditions early on broke November temperature records at numerous weather stations across Iceland, particularly during a strong southern gale on November 11–12.
Record highs were observed at Reykjavík in Southwest Iceland (12.9°C), Akureyri in North Iceland (20.4°C), and Grímsstaðir á Fjöllum in Northeast Iceland (16.5°C), all of which have over a century of recorded data.
Several northeastern and eastern stations exceeded 20°C during this warm spell, with a national November record of 23.8°C set at Kvísker in Öræfi in South Iceland on November 14 (surpassing the previous record of 23.2°C set at Dalatangi on November 11, 1999).
As reported by Vísir at the time, nearly thirty mudslides occurred in the Westfjords during this time, which were linked to the unseasonably warm weather conditions and precipitation. “This combined with the snow that fell in October in the northern Westfjords have played a major role in triggering landslides, as melting snow along with rainfall increases the likelihood of such events,” Vísir noted.
A colder latter half
The month ended with average temperatures either just above or below the 1991–2020 norm but below the past decade’s average at most stations. Southern and western regions were relatively colder, while northeastern areas were warmest. Positive temperature anomalies were highest at Skjaldþingsstaðir in East Iceland (0.2°C above the past decade’s average), while the largest negative anomaly was at Lambavatn on Rauðasandur in the Westfjords (-1.9°C below).
Below are some of the highest and lowest recorded temperatures in Iceland:
- Lowest recorded temperature: -24.1°C, measured at Grímsstaðir á Fjöllum on November 29.
- Highest recorded temperature: 23.8°C at Kvísker in Öræfi on November 14 (surpassing the previous record of 23.2°C set at Dalatangi on November 11, 1999).
- Highest average temperature: 3.8°C at Surtsey island.
- Lowest average temperature: -5.1°C in Sandbúðir (among inhabited areas, Svartárkot saw the lowest average temperature at -2.5°C).
- Average temperature in Reykjavík: 1.7°C (0.5°C below the 1991–2020 average and 1.3°C below the past decade’s average).
- Average temperature in Akureyri: 0.9°C (0.2°C above the 1991–2020 average but 0.4°C below the last decade’s average).
