In spite of high temperatures in North Iceland yesterday, farmers in the region were rounding up their sheep from mountain pastures. The weather is expected to take a turn for the worse next weekend with snowfall in the mountains.
Sheep roundup. Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review.
“It was very difficult because no animal wanted to go home. The weather is so good,” Ómar Sigtryggsson, chief sheep herder in Reykjahverfi in Suður-Þingeyjasýsla, Northeast Iceland, told Morgunblaðið.
Sheep herders didn’t manage to drive the 2,000 sheep in the region down from the mountains until yesterday evening but had expected to be finished at noon. The roundup will be held in Skógarétt today.
The heat also impacted sheep herding in Skagafjörður in the northwest where 4,000 sheep were driven to the lowlands yesterday. “We’re hoping that the weather won’t be too bad for roundup; we’re planning the roundup on Friday morning,” said Jónína Stefánsdóttir, farmer at Stóra-Gröf ytri.
“It’s hard to believe that the weather will deteriorate to such an extent because it’s wonderful right now,” she added.
Göngur, driving sheep down from mountain pastures on foot, by horse, or sometimes on ATVs, is followed by réttir, roundup in special round fences where farmers sort out their sheep.
This has become quite a big tourist attraction in Iceland but now that roundup has been expedited in many places in North Iceland the schedule published by the Farmers’ Association of Iceland is not accurate anymore.
Meteorologist Teitur Arason at the Icelandic Met Office stated that a snowstorm is still forecast for North Iceland and that the outlook has not improved.
“It is assumed that a storm from the northwest will hit on Friday afternoon with cold weather and snowfall above … 200-300 meters,” said Teitur.
On Saturday, continued storm and precipitation is predicted throughout most of the day with the worst weather expected to hit the central region from Húnaflói to Eyjafjörður.
Travelers in the highlands will be warned by the Civil Protection and Emergency Management today and asked to leave the region.
Related:
28.08.2013 | Weather Warning: Please Leave Iceland’s Highlands
27.08.2013 | Hazardous Weather Forecast for North Iceland
ESA
