May 2023 in Reykjavik, Iceland has been a month of gloom and rain, with a chance of breaking a 70-year-old "sunless" record and becoming the "least sunniest" fifth month of the year since measurements began, as well as potentially breaking the record for the rainiest May on record.
Capital area residents in Iceland opened their eyes to 10 cm (3.9 in) of snow outside the window on April 27th. In the last 75 years, there have only been 4 instances of this much snow falling in the Reykjavík area in the second half of April.
Strong winds and heavy snowfall have led to flights being delayed, trains being cancelled, and motorists told to avoid unnecessary journeys.
After some well-founded speculation a week ago, reported on in some media, the Met Office has now confirmed that this March was the wettest on record in Reykjavík--and the winter overall saw the most precipitation ever recorded in various locations around Iceland.
All roads out of Iceland’s capital Reykjavík are closed due to extreme weather conditions, including Route 41, the road to Keflavík International Airport. A yellow weather alert is in effect across the country, with strong winds and snow showers expected to continue until tomorrow afternoon in most regions. Travel is discouraged across the country.
A winter storm caused power outages and property damage across Iceland. Winds reached speeds of 40 meters per second (89 mph) in the Southwest region, though precipitation was less than forecasted. See related article: A total of ten waves of 25 meters high and four waves over 30 meters high were recorded. A 40 m wave was the highest recorded since 1990.
The wet weather this summer and autumn in southwest Iceland is causing a major headache for the region’s potato farmers. Þykkvibær, one of the country’s best-known potato producers, is suffering a mould outbreak in its potato beds for the first time in 20 years and the soil is too wet for harvesting machines to get to work.
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