The Icelandic Met Office has issued a storm warning for East Iceland today, expecting a strong gale wind of more than 20 m/s. An avalanche risk has been declared for Ísafjörður in the West Fjords and an avalanche uncertainty level for the northern West Fjords.
The snowstorm caused a blackout in parts of the West Fjords. When power could finally be restored last night, some farms in Tálknafjörður and Barðaströnd had been without electricity for almost 48 hours, ruv.is reports.
In North Iceland, many schools will be closed today. In Akureyri streets are impassable. In South Iceland, the storm has caused damage, including in Þorlákshöfn where a roof blew off a store. Road conditions are poor across the country (for updates, go to vegag.is).
The forecast for the next 24 hours is for a northerly wind, 18 to 25 m/s, strongest in the east. Snow or snow showers are expected in the south for part of the day but a lighter wind and less precipitation in west, as reported on vedur.is.
The northerly wind will likely carry sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas from the Holuhraun eruption site to the south across Höfn.
