Jökull - 01.12.1986, Side 72

The Sheriff of Rangárvallasýsla wrote that the
weather was pleasant to Whitsun (8 June) when the
eruption occurred.
After that the air was full of ash and smoke which has
lasted up to the present time (26 August). On the rare
occasions that we have had a glimpse of the sun it has
looked like the reddest blood. The grass was singed and
seemed to wither and stopped growing, so now there is
a great lack of grass everywhere. Up to fourteen days
ago (12 August) the summer has been dry.
In Kjós district there was a night frost at the beginning
of June which, according to the Sheriff, spoiled any
good prospects for the grass growth.
Then the eruption, both in the western sea, and in
Skaftafell district, occurred with dust and fumes and
megrass which had been green, was made quite yellow
and white by sulphurous rain. After that, the grass
withered to the roots .. . Thus the harvest could not be
begun before 30 July which is three weeks later than
usual. The failure was still so great that, on the home-
fields, where one in an average year would have got 300
horseloads of hay, there was not more than 200 to 220,
and in Gullbringusýsla the failure has been even
greater.
There were similar accounts from the rest of the
country. The Sheriff of Snæfellsness district ascribed
the unfruitful summer to
... the foggy air, which we have experienced all the
time from 16 June to the end of August. During this
time one seldom saw the sun, and when it was seen it
was very red. The air has smelt strongly of sulphur, and
we have experienced a very fine dust which has fallen
on the ground chiefly in calm weather when white linen
or woollen goods have been put out. The mouths of
sheep and cattle have also been yellow with sulphur .. .
and all animals have been restless.
In Dalasýsla, Magnús Ketilsson wrote:
From early June, and to this time (13 August) we have
lived in continual smoke and fog, sometimes accom-
panied by sulphur-steam and ashfalls. The grass has
withered and the livestock have been extremely restless.
People involved in fishing have not been able to get out
on the sea because of the continual smoke and murmur-
ings, and it has rarely been possible to see further than a
mile away.
In the eastern part of Iceland, the Sheriff of Suður-
Múlasýsla wrote that the effects of the eruption were
first noticed there at Whitsun,
. . . and there is also an eruption off Reykjanes with
continual sulphurous smoke and steam. It became so
dark that travellers could scarcely find their way ...
The sun at rise and set became as red as blood. This
lasted from the above-mentioned time to the 12 or 14
September, and has caused very unfortunate conse-
quences. Leaves on the trees withered'so that in June it
looked as though it was far into October. The grass on
the homefields in some places became pale and stopped
growing.
However, he added that the cold from the sea ice had
also had a great effect on the grass.
Jón Jónsson gives a separate account of the weather,
and the effects of what he termed the “mist”. The first
two weeks in June were very cold and there was much
sea ice in Eyjafjord. During the last two weeks, the
weather was often good, but on the 26 and 27 June
there was very much sea ice in the fjord. The first two
weeks of July were tolerable, but cold. The sea ice
went on 1 July, and “did not come back much”. The
third week was very good. The last week or so was
colder and wet, with snow in the mountains. August
was generally mild and calm. In his account Lítil
Fráskiring Hvorsu Misturið Er (A Short Description
of What the Mist is Like), the entries are written daily
from the time when the eruption began to mid
September. There are a few descriptions for October,
November and December. Jón also gives an account
of the effects of the mist on the grass, the livestock and
other matters. On the 21 and 22" of June, for example,
the grass “lost its fertility”.
The harvest this year failed everywhere, and the
autumn was generally cold. In the north, Jón Jónsson
wrote that, in September, the latter part of the first
week was very severe with snow, cold and frost. The
week 7 to 13 September was very frosty but calm,
while from 14 to 20 September the weather was calm
and tolerable. October was quite harsh.
Most sources say that the winter began very early
this year. The Sheriff of Dalasýsla said that it began
on 14 September, and from this time the livestock had
to be given fodder almost continually. The account
from Mýrasýsla records a very wet autumn, but most
other sources dwell on its severity. A good description
comes from Barðastrandasýsla:
At the beginning of September heavy stormwinds oc-
curred. These caused considerable damage in many
places. On 2 October there was much frost with some
snow and northeasterly stormwinds. This meant that all
autumn work was stopped ... as the earth never thawed
thereafter. Cattle needed to be given fodder after 2
October. The harvest everywhere was the poorest, so
people immediately slaughtered a lot of livestock.
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