East Icelanders Tired Of Being Blocked By The Weather Forecaster

A whole region of the country is regularly blocked by television weather forecasters, who often stand in front of East Iceland, and regional Icelanders are pushing back.

East Iceland news service Austurfrétt reports that the repeated practice of weather forecasters blocking East Iceland from view has ruffled plenty of feathers.

“This maybe an unnecessary complaint, and one can check the weather elsewhere, but as this is a part of the daily broadcast on television, I find it the minimum courtesy that one be allowed to see the main figures, like temperature and wind speed, in one’s own region,” Eiður Ragnarsson of Djúpavogur told reporters.

In fact, a Facebook group, called “Stop standing in front of East Iceland, dear weathermen”, has been formed and has been well received. As can be seen, there are numerous examples of broadcasters blocking East Iceland from view when they are standing in front of a map.

In terms of solutions, Eiður takes a practical stance on the matter.

“Shouldn’t we just ask for a left-handed weather forecaster at RÚV?,” Eiður told reporters. “Or they can use a pointing stick like in the old days. Then they can stand east of the map, and viewers can see what’s going on.”