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Iceland is washed by the warm seas of the Gulf stream therefore does not experience the extremes of weather normally attributed to lands near the Arctic Circle, although summers are chilly the winters rarely drop below -10ºC in Reykjavík. However the same Gulf Stream mild winds run into the cold polar air currents which result in much wind and rain.
Although apart from the Island of Grímsey the whole of Iceland lies below the Arctic Circle so does not have to endure total darkness although there is only about 3-4 hours of daylight in December and January. In June, the midsummer temperature averages in the range 12-15ºC (54-60ºF) and the sun shines most of the night. Midnight sun, when the sun does not dip below the horizon, only occurs above the Arctic Circle. this can be viewed on the island of Grímsey, from the mountains near Ólafsfjördur or the north east coast near Raufarhöfn. Over the rest of the Country a sort of dusk descends.
Iceland's unpolluted air makes visibility seem unnatural, for example on a fine day in Reykjavík the icecap of Snaefellsnes can be seen deceptively close when in fact it is 60 miles away.
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