Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.06.2014, Blaðsíða 43

These winds from the ocean usually car-
ry clouds and precipitation to a particular
side of Iceland, while on the leeward side,
the dry air simultaneously leads to much
sunnier weather.
Calm, generally stable weather pre-
vails if no prominent lows are close to
Iceland, that is, if a high is built up over
the island or if lows pass well south of
Iceland. Such conditions may last for one
to two weeks or even longer.
Iceland’s mean annual tempera-
ture ranges from about +4° to +5°C.
While this is no tropical island, Iceland
is quite warm considering how close it
is to the Arctic Circle. In addition to the
abovementioned factors, the warm Gulf
Stream has a strong impact on the tem-
perature. The average low temperature in
July is +10°C to +12°C while highs range
from +15° to +25°C, and have recently
reached +30°C.
Very high or low summer tempera-
tures are most frequently observed in
Northeast Iceland. In general, the Icelan-
dic lowlands have a mild oceanic climate,
while the highlands are characterised
by somewhat sterner Arctic conditions,
summer temperatures rarely passing
+15°C. Even in the lowlands, however, the
chilling effects of winds are pronounced.
Looking on the bright side though, Ice-
land can also be quite sunny.
Inland regions of North Iceland have
the lowest annual precipitation with
around 300–400 mm compared to 1,000
mm in the SW lowlands and 3,000–5,000
mm in the highlands and central parts
of South Iceland. Days with measurable
precipitation number over 200 in Reykja-
vík and 140 in Akureyri, on average.
The weather forecast is in Icelandic
on radio and TV and in newspapers as
well as on the Internet. The Icelandic
Meteorological Office has an English
version of their website (en.vedur.is) and
can be contacted through their site or by
calling +354-902-0600 (fixed answering
service) or by checking at safetravel.is.
What To Bring:
The Bare Essentials
This is a list of essential items for a short
mountain hike (1–5 hours) from May to
September, provided that there will be
no ice or snow on your route:
- Something to drink and a light lunch/
snack (for hikes of more than
1–1.5 hours)
- Warm head- gear, such as a
wool or fleece hat
- Sufficiently warm underwear (choose
material that absorbs little moisture)
- Trousers and a shirt/lightweight inner
jacket made from fabrics suitable for
hiking
- Wind and waterproof trousers and a
jacket/raincoat
-Gloves/mittens
-20–40 litre backpack
-1 extra pair of socks
-Hiking boots with good grip
-Sunglasses and sunscreen
For longer trips (over 4–5 hours) in
May-September, you will need to
take more food and possibly camp-
ing equipment (depending on your
plans) and a larger backpack. Wad-
ing shoes (lightweight shoes that can
get wet) are useful if you will be ford-
ing rivers. For hard snow you need
crampons and an ice axe. If you will
be crossing paths with a glacier and
there is even the slightest risk of cre-
vasses en route, take a harness, rope
(20–40 m) and two string loops and/
or some kind of locking device for
each person on the rope team.
In addition to these basics, you
may also want to pack items such as
hiking sticks, a map and, depending
on the route, a compass/GPS device,
first aid kit and emergency flares. As
a rule, let someone know about your
hiking plans.
All you need
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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07 — 2014 TRAVEL43
Ari Trausti Guðmundsson has
been active as a non-fiction writer
in the fields of geology, volcanology,
astronomy, environmental science
and mountaineering, with some 40
published book titles. In addition,
Ari Trausti has written novels and
published poetry and short stories in
magazines and anthologies since the
1970s. In 2002, he received the Lax-
ness literary prize for his collection of
short stories.
Educated as a geophysicist in
Norway and Iceland, Ari Trausti
works as a freelance consultant in
the fields of geoscience, tourism and
environmental issues as well as writ-
ing and hosting numerous radio and
television programs and documenta-
ries.
Ari Trausti is also noted as an
avid mountaineer in many countries,
an Arctic traveller and contributor to
scientific exhibitions, visitors centres
and museums in Iceland and abroad.
He has been an official guide for
Icelandic ministries, the Office of
the President and several scientific
institutions. He is an international
member of the Explorers Club. Fur-
thermore, he was a candidate for the
office of the President of Iceland in
2012.