More Summer Days In Akureyri Than Reykjavík This Year

This summer Akureyri has seen three times the amount of “summer days” than Reykjavík, according to the criteria of Hungurdiskar.

The definition of a “summer day” according to Trausti Jónsson, who publishes the results, is a day where there’s no precipitation in at least three of the four observation periods; if it does rain between 9:00-18:00, it must not surpass 2mm. Additionally, it may not be completely cloudy during all four observation periods. The average temperature must be at least 13.1°C, and the maximum temperature at 18:00 must be over 15°C.

Considering these factors, Akureyri has seen three times the amount of summer days than Reykjavík during the May-August period in 2021, Vísir reports. Overall, Akureyri has seen 70 “summer days” this year: 5 in May, 12 in June, 22 in July and a remarkable 30 in August. There have never been more summer days counted since they began being recorded in the 1950’s. Reykjavík, by contrast, has only experienced 24 “summer days” from May to August: 2 in June, 10 in July and 12 in August.

By all accounts, it’s been an uncharacteristic summer for most of Iceland. With September just beginning, it’s yet to be seen what, if any, records will be broken this month.

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