Snowfall And Chilling Temperatures In Snæfell and Askja

Snow covered ground around Snæfell mountain on July 5, reports RÚV. Conditions are also quite wintry and cold near Askja. The park ranger states that the temperature has dropped unusually fast following mild weather in June.

There has been a considerable drop in temperature in the highlands north of Vatnajökull, and it snowed in Snæfell on the night of July 4. Park ranger Jónatan Hrafn Daníelsson told the national broadcaster that it is quite cold there at the moment.

“We woke up to a snow-covered ground here this morning, and it has been freezing since then. But it is starting to warm up now,” says Jónatan.

He mentions that the weather forecasts have been inaccurate lately. Tomorrow looks better, with less precipitation predicted compared to before.

The guesthouse in Snæfellskáli is not operating as usual this summer due to maintenance work. However, Jónatan says it is still open for visitors, and they can stay in a large part of the facility.

It also snowed in Askja, although the snow didn’t last long. Higher up in the mountains, the ground is white.

Snow is certainly not unheard of in that part of Iceland at this time of year; there was quite a bit of snow there in July last year. However, it is somewhat unusual how quickly it cooled down, says Helga Hvanndal Björnsdóttir, the chief park ranger in Askja. The weather was warm and mild there in June. She mentions that the wind is sharp and the cold bites harder due to the sudden change.

Despite the weather, tourists, particularly those visiting from abroad, are still visiting the area.

“There are some who are not thrilled about this weather, and understandably so. It’s an unpleasant northerly wind, a bit of snow and one to two degrees Celsius. You quickly get cold in such weather,” adds Helga.