times their normal volume of water. Lakes and waterfalls are 

 common. The potentialities of the waterfalls for power are being 

 increasingly utilized. 



CLIMATE 



Iceland is characteristically cool in summer and mild in winter. 

 The North Atlantic Drift is mainly responsible for the winter 

 mildness of the southern and western coasts. The coldest month 

 in the coastal areas is February, with average temperatures rang- 

 ing between 25° F. and 30° F. The warmest month is July with 

 averages of from 48° F. to 51° F. Absolute extreme low tempera- 

 ture has been recorded at minus 21° F., and an extreme high at 

 87° F. Winter is mild for the latitude. However, the interior 

 upland has average temperatures of below freezing for the 7 

 months from October to April. 



The relative humidity is high throughout the year, while the 

 absolute humidity is low, especially in winter. 



Fog and poor visibility along the coasts are a considerable hin- 

 drance to navigation. Sea fog is most prevalent in summer but 

 seldom penetrates inland or up the fiords. In the fiords, radiation 

 fog and sea smoke are most common. 



In general the climate of Iceland is damp. Evaporation is slow 

 and the wet, cold, windy winter weather is unpleasant. The total 

 precipitation varies from over 85 inches on the southern coast to 

 less than 12 inches in parts of the northern coast. The coastal 

 lowlands receive frequent snow fall during the winter, especially 

 in the northeast peninsular area. Strong winds along the coast 

 sweep most of the snow away, leaving large patches of bare ground. 



VEGETATION 



Most of Iceland is without a continuous mantle of vegetation. 

 Even in the low coastal districts there are large areas of barren 

 rocks, stony and sand deserts, and lava flows. Over half the island 

 has no vegetation, while the other half is covered chiefly with 

 grasses. There are no true forests, but birch bushes and dwarf 

 willows are found in some places. 



In the interior lava and sand desert area there are only scattered 

 plants except in the locations of springs. In these cases are found 

 dwarf willows, grasses, and sedges. 



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