Southern Iceland to see good weather for holiday weekend, north to face rain

Icelanders heading to celebrations this Verslunarmannahelgin (Commerce Holiday weekend) can expect a split in weather conditions across the country. The southern part of Iceland is forecast to enjoy pleasant weather, while the north is likely to experience less favorable conditions.

According to Marcel de Vries, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Met Office, the forecast indicates a north to northwesterly wind for the weekend. "It will be rather unpleasant festival weather in the northern part of the country, but it looks better for the south," he stated. For those attending Þjóðhátíð in the Westman Islands, the outlook is more optimistic than last year, which saw a yellow weather warning and some attendees needing to relocate to indoor accommodations.

In Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), the weather is expected to start with a northwesterly wind late Friday and through Saturday, which could be quite breezy. However, the wind is predicted to ease, and current forecasts suggest minimal rainfall. "As the forecast is now, it would not rain more than a few drops, if at all," de Vries noted.

Despite the generally positive outlook for the south, de Vries cautioned about the inherent unpredictability of Icelandic weather. "As we know, the weather in Iceland is such that something unexpected could happen, especially if one looks as far as five days ahead." He advised that if the forecast for the Westman Islands deteriorates, conditions for camping could quickly become challenging.