From Iceland — Travel Difficulties, Road Closures For Much Of The Country Today

Travel Difficulties, Road Closures For Much Of The Country Today

Published January 23, 2020

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
road.is

Most roads in Iceland are going to be difficult to travel on at best, with many closures in the northern parts of the country, due to today’s gale-force storm.

The road conditions map from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration shows that most roads in the country will be difficult at best to travel on. Most of these are marked by icy patches and blowing snow (orange roads), while some are completely impassable (red roads).

As can be seen, the bulk of the red roads are in the Westfjords. Indeed, the latest alerts from the Icelandic Met Office have raised the severity level of the central Westfjords from yellow to red, where moderate to severe snow showers and winds up to 28 metres per second will characterise the region.

For much of the rest of the country, with the exceptions of the east and the southeast, snow showers and winds from 18 to 25 metres per second can be expected. The worst of it is forecast to pass by mid-afternoon today, but storm conditions may nonetheless persist until tomorrow morning.

Is it is advised to avoid traveling on orange roads if at all possible, to exercise great caution if you must, but to absolutely under no circumstances attempt to travel on the red roads.

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