When it comes to bad weather, in the mind of most people often appear names such as Britain or Russia.
The first one is known for its cloudy, foggy and rainy weather, and the second one – for its extremely cold winters, especially to the north and east.
However, another state takes the first place in the European worst weather ranking.
Endless emerald green landscapes, breathtaking fjords, spectacular waterfalls, snow-white mountain peaks, hot springs and geysers, gigantic glaciers and some of the friendliest, smiling and hospitable people in the world.
Have you already guessed what country we are talking about?
That’s right – it comes to Iceland.
The Scandinavian country is known for its bad weather.
The sky is covered with a thick blanket of gray clouds, and in some parts of its territory the number of cloudy days is more than 320 per year.
Countries such as the UK and even Ireland would look like a warm, sunny and cloudless paradise compared to Iceland.
Together with other cities such as Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki, Reykjavik is among the coldest capitals in Europe.
Although winters here quite often are surprisingly mild, snowstorms and blizzards are not uncommon.
Compared with the neighboring Scandinavian countries, Iceland suffers from more changeable weather because of its location amidst the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Moreover, the number of rainy days in the country is around 215 per year, making it one of the rainiest countries in the world. Prolonged weak precipitations are quite common.
Talking about bad weather, the most serious competitor to Iceland is Norway, which often suffers from the vagaries of the weather.
However, Norway enjoys usually slightly higher average temperatures, fewer cloudy days, and in addition the capital Oslo is located much further south.
Also, should be mentioned the name of Ireland, which is known for its rainy climate, the Netherlands and Britain, which are famous for their cloudy weather as well as the other two states on the Scandinavian Peninsula – Sweden and Finland, where one of the coldest regions of Europe is – the Lapland.
On the other hand, Russia, which is known for its memorable cold winters, actually enjoys nice warm and sunny summers, at least when it comes to those parts of the country that are located west of the Ural Mountains.
