Thunder And Lightning Over Southwest Iceland

The very rare occurrence of thunder and lighting paid a visit to southwest Iceland just an hour ago.

If you happened to have been in the greater Reykjavík area about an hour ago, you may have heard a strange and prolonged rumbling sound come out of nowhere. You may have been confused, as you searched in vain for signs of an avalanche, or looked for the passing convoy of trucks.

RÚV reports, however, that the most obvious explanation in other climes is the correct one in this instance: thunder and lightning.

Lightning was in fact spotted over the Bláfjöll skiing range. Unseasonably warm temperatures close to sea level meeting the very cold air rolling off of the Highlands was responsible for the decidedly rare weather phenomenon, and the Icelandic Met Office adds that even more thunder and lightning can be expected through the day.

Thunder and lightning in Iceland is so rare, in fact, that when it does happen, it gets reported across nearly every media outlet in the country. The most spectacular example happened nearly five years ago, when lightning striking Garðabær was captured on video: