Coldest December for 50 years
December brought some record cold weather all over the country, but especially in the capital region which has not seen such cool numbers for over að century. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
Last December was the coldest December in the country since 1973, or for almost half a century ago, with an average temperature in the country -4.0 degrees Celsius or 24.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
December has not been as cold in over 100 years in Reykjavík, but the last time it was this cold in the capital was in December 1916, according to the Met Office.
The month was the eighth-coldest December on record nationwide since the start of recording temperatures.
The country was dry for most of the year, and in many parts of the country, December rainfall was the lowest recorded in decades.
Average temperatures only three times lower in Reykjavík
In Reykjavík, the average temperature in December was –3.9 degrees Celcius, which is 4.7 degrees below the average for 1991 to 2020, and 4.9 degrees below the average for the last ten years.
The average temperature in the month of December in Reykjavík has only been lower three times before, which was the December of 1878, 1886 and 1880, when it was much colder.
In Akureyri, the average temperature was –5.3 degrees Celcius, 4.7 degrees below average for 1991 to 2020, and 4.6 degrees below average for the last ten years. This was the seventh coldest December since the start of recorded temperatures in Akureyri, and the coldest since 1973.
Average temperature in Hveravellir -10.5 degrees Celcius
The average temperature in Stykkishólmur was –2.7 degrees Celcius and –2.6 degrees in Höfn, Hornafjörður. The month was the coldest month in December since the start of recorded temperatures at Hveravellir, where the average temperature was –10.5 degrees Celcius. Temperature recordings started in Hveravellir in 1965.
The sunniest December Reykjavík ever
The silver lining for people in the capital area is that Reykjavík was unusually sunny in December. The sunshine hours were 51.0 hours during the month, which is 38.4 times above average for the years 1991 to 2020. This is the sunniest December since the beginning of recorded temperatures. In Akureyri, the sunshine hours were 0.9, which is just above the average for 1991 to 2020.
