Highest Recorded Temperature In Thirteen Years

Iceland recorded its highest temperature in 13 years yesterday in Hallormsstaður, where it reached 29.3°C at 13:20, Fréttablaðið reports. This is in the hottest temperature in the country since the July 2008 heat wave.

While most of the country was covered in clouds yesterday, East Iceland, where Hallormsstaður lies, experienced holes in the grey skies which allowed the temperature to reach this level. Meteorologist Teitur Arason told Fréttablaðið that temperatures are expected to go even higher today—there’s even potential for the 1939 record high to be topped.

A sea breeze from the east managed to drop temperatures at Egilsstaðir airport yesterday from 27°C to 18°C. Teitur says the possibility of reaching a new record high depends on whether that breeze makes its way to Hallormsstaður. The current highest temperature stands at 30.5°C at Teigarhorn in Berufjörður, recorded on June 22, 1939.

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