Grímsstaðir () is a settlement in north-east

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

whose weather station has recorded the low-temperature record for Iceland of -38°C. This temperature was also recorded concurrently in the neighbouring settlement of Möðrudalur on 21 January 1918. It is a sheltered location (at altitude of about 400 metres) between two upland areas (above 800 metres). It is situated just off

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

(the main ring road around the island), where it crosses the large river

Jökulsá á Fjöllum Jökulsá á Fjöllum (; "glacial river in the mountains") is the second longest river in Iceland (206 km). Its Source (river or stream), source is the Vatnajökull glacier. It flows into the Greenland Sea. Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over ...

, about 37 km or 23 miles east of Lake

Mývatn Mývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provides a habitat for a number of waterbirds, ...

. The river was bridged in 1947: before that, traffic between north and east Iceland had to use a ferry. Currently the settlement has some accommodation for tourists, with discussions for growth. ''Teeing Off at Edge of the Arctic? A Chinese Plan Baffles Iceland''
March 22, 2013

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

It also has an airstrip, in common with many isolated rural settlements in Iceland. It is a recognised stop on the bus route between

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

and

Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of Múlaþing and the largest settlement of the Eastern Region (Iceland), Eastern Region with, as of 2024, a population of 2,632 inha ...

(up to one bus per day in summer) although it is only during summer that the buses venture off the main road to the settlement itself.

Climate

Grímsstaðir features a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ET) due to being located in the uplands at some altitude. It is also close to a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

: Dfc).

References

Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland) {{Iceland-geo-stub