Storm Days: Frozen Cars, Avalanche Warnings, Power Outages, Snow Tunnels

The latest weather alert from the Icelandic Met Office shows that storm conditions will persist over the entirety of the country through tomorrow afternoon. While the yellow zones will see winds from 15 to 23 metres per second with blowing snow and poor visibility, the southeast could experience gusts of up to 40 metres per second—with gusts in some cases reaching as high as 58 metres per second—and the northwest will have it worst of all.

At the time of this writing, road conditions around the country are severely limited. The only passable roads are in the southwest and southeast, and even then, conditions are predominantly icy. It is therefore highly inadvisable to travel by car on even these passable roads unless you are in a vehicle equipped for them.

The northwest will be experiencing whole gale and blizzard conditions, also with gusts up to 40 metres per second and blowing snow that have rendered road travel highly inadvisable and dangerous. These conditions have made things especially dangerous in the Westfjords, as RÚV reports that there is a high likelihood of avalanches. So much so, in fact, that some parts of Ísafjörður have already been evacuated.

Power outages have been reported in small villages in the north, but electrical workers are labouring tirelessly to remedy the situation.

The weather has had other, more bizarre effects as well.

The rescue squad Kyndill, which serves the southeast, reported that six tourists in three cars required assistance on Route 1 due to their cars being frozen in place by drifting snow and ice.

Closer to home, this photo shows conditions of the pathway outside of Keflavík International Airport that is supposed to connect the terminal and the parking area. As can be seen, movement is greatly inhibited.

Traveling anywhere in Iceland today could be hazardous, so we implore you to check weather conditions and road conditions before venturing out.