Marek Kučera 
On July 14, 2025, the quiet Icelandic settlement of Hjarðarland, located in the island’s southwest region, recorded a scorching 29.5°C, making it one of the hottest days in Iceland’s history. This extraordinary reading came during an intense and widespread heatwave that has shattered dozens of temperature records across the country, pushing Iceland close to its national all-time high.
The current official record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Iceland is 30.5°C (86.9°F), measured near Djúpivogur, in the east of the country, on June 22, 1939. With the 29.5°C at Hjarðarland, Iceland has now seen its second hottest July day on record, and among the top five hottest days in its meteorological history.
This type of heat is extremely rare for Iceland, a country known for its cool maritime climate, glaciers, and frequent foggy summers. Yet July 2025 has brought unprecedented warmth, affecting both lowland and inland regions. Multiple weather stations reported temperatures exceeding 25°C, surpassing long-standing local records, and Red Weather Warnings were issued in several parts of the country.
Meteorologists attribute the heat to a combination of persistent southerly winds, a strong high-pressure system, and dry air masses funneling warm air from mainland Europe and the North Atlantic. These conditions, together with clear skies and long daylight hours, allowed for rapid surface heating, especially in sheltered inland valleys like Hjarðarland.
Beyond the heat itself, the warm spell has brought noticeable effects: rivers have dropped rapidly, vegetation has dried out unusually early in the season, and wildfire risk has increased in parts of western and southern Iceland. In some towns, residents reported struggling with sleep and dehydration—air conditioning is virtually nonexistent in most Icelandic homes, which are built to retain heat, not release it.
While the 1939 Djúpivogur record still holds, Hjarðarland’s 29.5°C serves as a dramatic reminder that climate boundaries are shifting, even in nations often thought to be cool and temperate year-round. Iceland’s once-rare heat events are becoming more frequent, widespread, and intense. On the other hand, the Global Warming Hole anomaly in the North Atlantic often brings the coldest meteorological records in the last decades.
Illustration picture: https://cdn.tourradar.com/s3/content-pages/2659/464×208/jErnOn.jpg
