People in Iceland are fairly used to some pretty crazy weather including blizzards. Blizzards are the most common type of extreme weather in Iceland. A blizzard is when a severe winter storm has large amounts of falling snow driven by high winds to create low visibility for an extended period of time. In 2015 Iceland experienced its worst storm on record with winds over 160 miles per hour and an accumulation of over 10 feet of snow in the mountains.
This was the first "named' storm in Iceland and they named it Diddú,after a known opera singer in Iceland.The worst damage was in South Iceland and the Westman Islands. The strength of the winds blew the roofs off of houses, and boats disappeared because they just up and blew away! Thankfully people were not hurt, but there was such extensive property damage that the cleanup was very expensive and lengthy.
It is best to stay indoors when there is a blizzard in Iceland, or anywhere for that matter. The biggest dangers during a blizzard come from flying objects in the wind, downed powerlines, and white-out conditions for driving and walking. The wind chill effect that is created in a storm such as this is dangerous to exposed skin. The moving air reduces the time it takes for frostbite to occur, so the lower wind chill temperature is more important than the air temperature in a blizzard. This is yet another reason to stay inside if you weren't already convinced.
You can click here to watch a short video of an extreme snowstorm in Iceland. It made me cold just to watch it!
Minimization and mitigation techniques should include more accurate prediction so that they can better forecast and warn the public. Construction of buildings that can better withstand severe weather in order to minimize death and loss of property. Hazard preparedness that informs the public of actions to take and where to go once the warning of severe weather has gone out. Finally, education and insurance programs that will help to reduce the risk.
Sources:
YouTube: Icelandscapes Snow Storm, uploaded by Brenner, Stefan December 11, 2014
https://youtu.be/NZmDv0QJs34
Guide to Iceland
https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/nanna/a-massive-storm-hits-iceland-see-the-devastation
Keller, E. A., & DeVecchio, D. E. (2015). Natural hazards: Earth's processes as hazards, disasters, and catastrophes (4th ed.). Pearson.
Wow it is scary that the wind can blow a boat out of the water! Like Iceland, Mongolia can have very severe blizzards, but I focused on 'dzuds' which are mass dying events of livestock caused by extreme winter conditions. The conditions can include very bad blizzards, but also can be extreme cold without snow. Because Mongolia is mostly rural, with a very low population of humans, its mitigation for dzuds focuses mostly on range management practices, such as setting up rotational grazing systems that all farmers follow in a region, to ensure grass can grow longer and be easier for animals to get to after heavy snowfall.
ReplyDeleteHey Julie,
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty cool you chose Iceland as your country. I could not imagine living there though. I think its pretty crazy that the winds are 160 miles per hour. and up to 10 feet of snow! That must be scary. I like that you put a video, you can hear the snow hitting the camera and it sounds like it would definitely hurt if it was hitting skin. Thank you for your post I enjoyed learning about Iceland's extreme weather
Hi Julie your blog this week was very informative! The pictures you choose really showed the severity of the snow storms. 10 feet of snow is insane I dont understand how people can live in those conditions. Overall very good post I really enjoyed it.
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