Overview
- The Icelandic Meteorological Office verified a 19.8°C reading in Seyðisfjörður at 11 a.m. local time on 24 December, the highest December temperature ever recorded in the country.
- A temperature of 19.7°C was also measured in Bakkagerði the same day, surpassing or matching previous highs across the east.
- The new mark eclipses the prior December record of 19.7°C set on 2 December 2019 at Kvískerjar in Öræfi.
- Forecasters cited warm, moist air of tropical origin, a strong high-pressure system, strong winds, and local fjord terrain effects as the immediate drivers of the extreme readings.
- This event capped a notably warm year that saw May records at 94% of long-running stations and a 26.6°C high at Egilsstaðir, with observed impacts including the first recorded mosquitoes, retreating glaciers, and warm-water fish appearing in Icelandic waters.