Raufarhöfn
Raufarhöfn
Village in Northeast Constituency, Iceland
Raufarhöfn (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈrœyːvarˌhœpn̥]) is a village located on the northeastern tip of the Melrakkaslétta [ˈmɛlˌrahkaˌstljɛhta] peninsula in Iceland.
 |
Raufarhöfn | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Raufarhöfn seen from the air | |
 Location of the Municipality of Norðurþing | |
  Raufarhöfn Location of Raufarhöfn in Iceland | |
| Coordinates: 66°27′15″N 15°57′00″W | |
| Country |  Iceland |
| Constituency | Northeast Constituency |
| Region | Northeastern Region |
| Municipality | Norðurþing |
| Population (2019) | |
| • Total | 188 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
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[1] 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[2] 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).[3]
The church was built in 1928 by Guðjón Samúelsson, one of the most important Icelandic architects, and inaugurated on 1 January 1929.[4] It was renovated in 1979.[5] Circa 1996, a large stone monument, "Arctic Henge" (Heimskautsgerði [ˈheimˌskœytsˌcɛrðɪ] in Icelandic), was constructed close to the village.[6] Inspired by historic stone circles as of 2021 the site is still under construction.[7]
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).[8]
| 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)[9][10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Iceland Met Office (sun 1961-1990 and extremes)[8][11] | |||||||||||||
Raufarhöfn Airport is located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the village.
- 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.
- "Raufarhöfn the tiny northern most village in Iceland". 27 November 2021.
- "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.