Is Arctic Tropical a New Thing?

There's a white-sand beach just below this grassy hillock : )

"It's still so warm that its almost possible to call this a late summer front over the land...it's way too early to begin talking of autumn weather given the high temperatures" ~ The Icelandic Meteorological Office

It's raining. We've been so lucky with the weather this summer that most people are probably secretly relieved to see familiar puddles and dripping trees, breathe moist air and cozy up over a bowl of soup at lunchtime. It was getting a little spooky, all the sunshine and blue skies. Even the ironic drizzles that dampen summer celebrations like Culture Night with annual regularity were absent. Bill and Hillary Clinton, Lou Reed, Forrest Whitaker, Julia Stiles, Jamie Oliver, Harrison Ford, Pink, 50 Cent and even James Brown got weather on their recent visits that was more like California in the Springtime than North Atlantic seasonal thaw.

The locals have been kind of stunned by it all. Is this proof of Global Warming? Are we the next Benidorm? How much sunscreen should I slather on my kids? Is a person allowed to barbeque every night? Stores were selling electric fans and one newspaper even ran a How-To on staying cool (Open windows on both sides of your office, if possible, so that air can flow through the room...wear light colors in fabrics like linen and cotton, and keep the fit loose). With the temperature reaching the mid-80's and even shadows holding warmth, it felt a bit like the End of the World; this was earthquake weather or some gift from an evil trickster god bent on getting us to let our guard down before the fall. What had we done to deserve such a heatwave?

It's raining cats and dogs but it's still pretty hot: sixty degrees at least. The air is muggy, a warm wind blows in full gusts, giving the grey day a tropical feel. Add a few palm trees and Reykjavik could be St Barts. At least for today.