Gale Force Storm Across Most Of Iceland Today: Travel Dangerous & Highly Inadvisable

The latest alert from the Icelandic Met Office emphatically advises against traveling for most of the country, with the only possible exception being the northeast of the country.

Winds from 20 to 28 metres per second are predicted for all of the orange areas of the above map. Combined with blowing snow, these forecasters stress that these are not travel conditions. This is especially the case in the northwest of the country, including the Westfjords, and the west, where gusts could reach as powerful as 40 metres per second.

The Westfjords also has the additional danger of avalanches, the risk of which is very high.

While the northeast is “only” a yellow alert, great caution is nonetheless advised if one plans on traveling. Winds could range anywhere from 13 to 23 metres per second in this area. People are advised to closely monitor the weather and exercise great caution if traveling by car. Avoid leaving the region altogether.

Not even the Reykjavík area is completely spared, although thanks to the winds coming in from the northeast, mountains in that direction from the city will mean wind speeds from 15 to 23 metres per second.

These conditions are expected to persist until Wednesday morning.

As always before traveling in Iceland, check the weather forecast and road conditions before you get behind the wheel.