Reykjanesbær

Reykjavík’s Health Inspection warns of high particulate matter near major roads in Reykjavík and Kópavogur during calm, dry weather, advising children, older adults, and people with respiratory illness to avoid busy roads and for the public to use alternatives to private cars.

Most domestic flights in Iceland were canceled due to weather, affecting about 700 passengers. Icelandair cited strong winds aloft causing turbulence and icing; only early flights to Akureyri and Bíldudalur operated, with conditions expected to improve by tonight or tomorrow.

Reykjavík recorded 27 cm of snow at 9:00 on October 28, likely the deepest October snow on record, surpassing the previous 15 cm set in 1921. Heavy snowfall and poor visibility were forecast on the Suðurnes/Reykjanesbraut corridor with 50–75 mm precipitation expected.

Heavy snowfall on Southwest Iceland has led the Icelandic Meteorological Office to raise the regional avalanche forecast to orange (considerable). People in the Reykjavík area are urged to avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees, especially SW-facing slopes where wind slabs may form.

Reykjavík fire department responded to 18 water damage calls over two hours during heavy rain, including flooding in the basement of the Kjarvalsstaðir art museum.

Over 400 lightning strikes were recorded in a powerful thunderstorm across southwest Iceland, with roughly half on land and heavy rainfall of 10–15 mm per hour.

The snow patch at Gunnlaugsskarð in Esja melted out by early August 2025, marking one of the earliest disappearances on record, previously only in July of 1941 and 2010.

A rare basking shark was spotted during an Elding whale watching tour in Faxaflói Bay, marking its first appearance in the bay in five years according to the company.

A whale carcass washed ashore just outside the settlement of Vogar on the Vatnsleysuströnd coast this afternoon. A marine biologist suggests that altered fish migration patterns, a consequence of climate change, are likely responsible for the higher number of strandings observed.

Many residents sought medical attention for respiratory discomfort and eye irritation caused by volcanic smog and air pollution lingering over Reykjavík and nearby areas.

New fissures on the Reykjanes Peninsula have sent lava eastward and prompted fresh hazard warnings, with high sulfur dioxide levels and drifting volcanic fibers adding to safety concerns.

Levels of fine particulate matter have risen in Reykjavík, likely due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, prompting health advisories for those with respiratory issues.

Rescue teams in Reykjavík will make a second, high-tide effort this evening to nudge an orca stranded since Tuesday night in the shallow cove of the Grafarvogur neighbourhood back into open waters.

Reykjavík’s temperature yesterday came within half a degree of the city’s May record amid warm, dry, and bright conditions, with similar weather expected until rain arrives Thursday.

A volcanic eruption on the Sundhnúk crater range on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula has forced evacuations at both Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon amid an intense earthquake swarm and significant magma movement.

Capital area residents experienced an unexpected display of lightning followed by a powerful thunder clap as stormy conditions gripped southern Iceland.

A powerful storm in southwest Iceland caused extensive coastal damage and raised concerns over the adequacy of existing sea defences, prompting calls for a significant increase in funding for future protection.

A severe storm over the weekend battered businesses at Fiskislóð 31 in Reykjavík, with colossal waves breaching coastal defenses and flooding inland areas, leaving significant structural and economic damage.

Two individuals were swept into the sea near Akranes harbor when a large swell unexpectedly engulfed the area, dragging along cars and a pedestrian. They were rescued by emergency services, with one later transferred to a hospital in Reykjavík.

Seawater breached sea walls in Seltjarnarnes this morning causing major damage to homes and infrastructure, with emergency services working to pump out water and warnings of further flooding tonight.