Iceland hit with severe hurricane force winds today with red warnings issued with gust of 200km/hr
Icelandic met office warnings today
A red weather alert is in effect for the capital area, South Iceland, Faxaflói, and Southeast Iceland.
The red warning which was in effect for the capital area until 11 am, followed by an orange one until 2 pm. No travel is advised during this time was issued. The mean wind speed this morning is 70km/hr to 110km/hr in the capital area.
In South Iceland, the red warning is good until noon and an orange one till 2 pm. Hurricane-force mean winds of 100km/hr to 130km/hr are in the area this morning and dangerous wind gusts of up to 200km/hr especially across higher ground areas. There is snow and blowing snow and poor visibility.
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For the rest of the country, an orange weather alert has been issued through the evening hours.
People are advised to remain indoors as much as possible while the red and orange warnings are in effect. Numerous roads are closed, there is no international or domestic flight service this morning, and all Strætó bus service in the capital area has been canceled this morning. No departures are scheduled from Keflavík International Airport until 4 pm.
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The severe weather is affecting the whole country of Iceland this morning. Rescue workers have been called out between 200 and 300 times since last night, mainly to attend to flying debris, mbl.is reports.
About one hundred rescue teams are at work throughout the country. A special armored vehicle has been moved to Kjalarnes, Southwest Iceland, where the weather has been the worst this morning.
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An armored vehicle was taken into use in Kjalarnes. mbl.is/Ómar Óskarsson
“This type of vehicle is very heavy and can take a lot of wind,” states Davíð Már Bjarnason, ICE-SAR media representative. Roofing sheets were blown off an apartment building in Kjalarnes, and when rescue workers have to deal with flying roofing sheets and other debris, the vehicle improves their safety, he explains.
In Vestmannaeyjar islands alone – a place known for being windier than most - police and rescue teams were called out 18 times overnight, and at 8 am, they were still busy. One of the tasks involved a house in town, the roof of which was coming off in one piece.
“We’ve had a sustained wind speed of 155km/hr ” Police Chief Páley Borgþórsdótti “and the wind gusts have been up to 200km/hr .” The high winds were accompanied by major precipitation, and roads are extremely icy. No injuries have been reported.
Most people on the island have remained indoors since last night, except for the 20 rescue workers and five police officers working overnight.
A sinking boat in Vestmannaeyjar. Photo/Óskar Pétur Friðriksson
A motor boat was reported to have sunk in Vestmannaeyjar harbor this morning.
On the Reykjanes peninsula, rescue teams have been called out 50 times since last night. Reykjanesbraut road, that connects the capital area to Keflavík International Airport, was closed earlier this morning, but has been reopened. Conditions remain extremely windy, though, and the road is icy.
A roof came off one house in Vogar, Reykjanes, as well as siding. Cars in Reykjanes were blown off roads, roofing sheets hit a car, and a ship was about to lose its mooring in Njarðvík harbor.
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