Blue Alaskan lupine in the town of Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, March 2024. Getty Images/Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group
As reported by Iceland’s National Radio Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV)
In eastern Iceland during the Christmas holidays, forecasters recorded a December record – the temperature rose to 19.8°C. Such data are confirmed by regional meteorological services.
Around 11:00 on Christmas Eve, in the town of Seydisfjordur, 19.8°C was recorded. This is now the highest December record in the country. The previous record stood at 19.7°C and dated December 2, 2019, in Kviskjerjari.
Also on Christmas Day 2025, in another part of Iceland, the temperature reached 19.7°C in the village of Bakkagerdi, which is also located in the eastern part of the country.
It is under such conditions that monthly records like these are usually set
– Birgir Orn Heskuldsson
Context and implications
The Icelandic Meteorological Office explains that the record was possible thanks to warm air and fairly strong winds. Such air has tropical origins, and as it descends from the mountains, downslope flows form that warm the air.
Earlier in Iceland, three specimens of mosquitoes were recorded – this is unusual for the country, as even such populations were not previously known in this region or nearby areas.
Iceland is generally experiencing faster climate changes: the country is warming faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, glaciers are melting, and warmer-water fish are appearing in its waters, notably the mackerel.