England To Blame For Icelandic Weather

The Icelandic weather continues to be bad as Iceland experiences its greyest and wettest summer since 1914. Icelandic meteorologist Trausti Jónsson blames the UK heatwave for Iceland’s unusually grey and cold summer.

The Guardian reports that the high pressure system over western Europe is changing the jet stream and pushing clouds over the north of the continent. As a result, “the people of Reykjavík are paying for the sunshine in England and southern Scandinavia,” Jonsson explains.

The jet stream is a group of strong winds above the Earth’s surface, which helps to steer weather around the world. Its location is the main driver of heatwaves. The closer the stream is to the north, the more likely it is for Iceland to achieve a warm summer.

No other countries have the strong meteorological relationship that the UK does with Iceland. “Often our weather is the opposite to what’s happening in Iceland,” says Met Office’s Alex Deakin. “The geography is such that the width of the jet stream is either going to be across Iceland or the UK.”

The Guardian writes that the weather is not set to turn around anytime soon — England will continue to bask in the sunshine for at least another week.

“Sorry, Iceland.”