10 H. MØLHOLM HANSEN 
often remains on the ground for a long time in the north country, 
while this is more rarely the case in the south-west. In the south 
country it may often happen that the lowland tracts are destitute 
of snow for months on end. Here the precipitation is in the form 
of rain, whereas, in the adjacent highland tracts it falls as snow. 
Fog. In the calm and rainy regions to the east and south, fogs 
often occur, whereas the more storm-blown west coast is rarely 
visited by fog. Thus Berufjérdur has no less than 171 annual days 
of fog, while Stykkishölmur has only 9 days of fog. Fog occurs most 
frequently in summer, still even the winter months show a number 
of foggy days on the east coast, about 10. 
If on the basis of the above statements, we attempt to make a 
comprehensive survey of the climate of the separate parts, we must 
distinguish between a lowland climate and a highland climate. 
The lowland climate is of a pronounced oceanic character with 
but slight difference between the summer and winter temperatures. 
The climate of the east country is cold, foggy, and rainy, with slight 
circulation of the air. That of the south country is warmer, espe- 
cially in winter. In the west country, again, the temperature falls 
somewhat, and the precipitation is considerably less. Fog is rare, 
but on the other hand, the weather grows very stormy. The north 
country is the coldest, but on the other hand the driest. Fog and 
storm are not very common (the station here is Grimsey, which 
does not, probably, give a perfectly valid picture of the climatic 
conditions of the north country). 
The main difference between the north and south countries is 
that the north country is more continental in character than the 
south country. The summer temperature is very much the same for 
both parts, the average for all stations being about 9—10” C., but 
the winter is considerably colder in the north than in the south, 
4° C. below zero in the north, 1° C. below zero in the south. The 
difference between the warmest and the coldest month is 13.2” in 
the north, but only 11” in the south. 
The highland climate. The climate of the highland tracts is 
considerably more continental than that of the lowlands. The sum- 
mer temperature is very much the same in both places, but the 
winter temperature is considerably lower in the highland tracts and 
