Raufarhöfn
History
At one point in time, this small village was home to largest export harbor in Iceland. In the forties and fifties, the herring frenzy dominated the Icelandic economy and Raufarhöfn was an important place in that economic chain. But after the herring were fished out, the effect was devastating for the village. As of 2019, it had 188 inhabitants.
The village is also the site of a modern monument called the "Arctic Henge" which is aligned to the heavens and is inspired by the mythical world of the Eddic poem Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress).
Sights
The church was built in 1928 by Guðjón Samúelsson, one of the most important Icelandic architects, and inaugurated on 1 January 1929. It was renovated in 1979. Circa 1996, a large stone monument, "Arctic Henge" (Heimskautsgerði [ˈheimˌskœytsˌcɛrðɪ] in Icelandic), was constructed close to the village. Inspired by historic stone circles as of 2021 the site is still under construction.
Geography and climate
The climate is tundra (Koppen: ET). As the northernmost community of mainland Iceland, Raufarhöfn is also the coldest with an annual average of 2.7 °C (36.9 °F).
| Climate data for Raufarhöfn, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1949–2009 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
20.4 (68.7) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.2 (77.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.2 (63.0) |
14.8 (58.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
1.1 (34.0) |
1.3 (34.3) |
3.2 (37.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
11.7 (53.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
9.0 (48.2) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.4 (41.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.4 (29.5) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
3.4 (38.1) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.7 (47.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
2.8 (37.0) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
2.7 (36.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.4 (24.1) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
4.1 (39.4) |
6.4 (43.5) |
6.3 (43.3) |
3.7 (38.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
-0.0 (32.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.5 (−6.7) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−24.6 (−12.3) |
−21.8 (−7.2) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−17.9 (−0.2) |
−17.9 (−0.2) |
−24.6 (−12.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 73.1 (2.88) |
57.4 (2.26) |
65.7 (2.59) |
44.5 (1.75) |
33.9 (1.33) |
35.4 (1.39) |
48.9 (1.93) |
53.1 (2.09) |
68.0 (2.68) |
89.4 (3.52) |
78.4 (3.09) |
64.2 (2.53) |
714.7 (28.14) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 14.6 | 11.3 | 13.4 | 9.7 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 10.1 | 12.5 | 15.7 | 13.9 | 13.3 | 138.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0 cm) | 16.4 | 15.2 | 18.1 | 9.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 8.1 | 14.7 | 85.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 79.0 | 78.6 | 78.4 | 79.9 | 83.7 | 85.6 | 88.2 | 88.4 | 87.0 | 85.5 | 81.2 | 79.2 | 82.9 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
6.5 (43.7) |
6.6 (43.9) |
3.7 (38.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 5.2 | 25.7 | 47.5 | 75.7 | 108.2 | 113.5 | 96.2 | 90.2 | 57.7 | 31.6 | 9.5 | 0.1 | 661.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA (humidity 1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Iceland Met Office (sun 1961-1990 and extremes) | |||||||||||||
Transport
Raufarhöfn Airport is located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the village.
See also
References
- ^ "History in short".
- ^ https://www.statice.is/statistics/population/inhabitants/municipalities-and-urban-nuclei/ zipcode 675, in March 2019.
- ^ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (30 April 2012). "Aurora Over Raufarhöfn". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Raufarhöfn the tiny northern most village in Iceland". 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Arctic Henge".
- ^ "The Arctic Henge". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Climate data for Raufarhöfn 1961-1990". vedur.is. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Raufarhöfn Climate Normals 1981-2010". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Vestmannaeyjar/Storhofo Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Mánaðarmeðaltöl fyrir stöð 505 - Raufarhöfn" (in Icelandic). Icelandic Meteorological Office. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
