VATNAJOKULL
Measurements and references
Powered by www.xionia.com · WGMS
XIONIA / GLACIERS
VATNAJOKULL — glacier, weather and history
VATNAJOKULL — Iceland. Monitoring location 64.4130°, -16.8110°; WGMS identifier 3754. Available series span 2020–2025. Explore measurements by period and linked nearby destinations.
Find the glacier pin and map temperatures, a forecast for up to 14 days and the hourly meteogram. Compare 850 hPa and precipitation ensembles, inspect weather satellite imagery and explore the WGMS observation history.
2020–2025available year range
4mass-balance records
—front-variation records
Glacier map, coordinates and temperatures
Dots mark WGMS monitoring locations. Select a glacier or click another map point: the widget, detailed forecast, meteogram, ensembles and satellite update for those same coordinates.
Loading catalogue… The catalogue and sources are also available below.
Temperatures apply to the selected forecast point. Day choices appear only where numeric data are available, up to 14 days.
FORECAST AT YOUR COORDINATES
Weather and 14-day forecast · VATNAJOKULL
64.4130°, -16.8110°
Enter coordinates
Loading forecast…
Detailed forecast and model comparison · VATNAJOKULL
Daily temperature, 850 hPa, precipitation, snow, wind and pressure at the selected point. The combination uses the available models from the same forecast; missing values stay missing.
Forecast table for up to 14 days
| Day | Weather | High 2 m | Low 2 m | 850 hPa | Precipitation | Snow | Wind | Pressure |
|---|
All models and combined forecast by day
| Model | High 2 m | Low 2 m | 850 hPa | Precipitation | Snow | Wind | Pressure |
|---|
Hourly glacier meteogram · VATNAJOKULL
Follow 2 m and 850 hPa temperature, rain, snow and wind over the next 72 hours. Change models, range and variables, select an hour on the chart or open full screen.
Ensembles 850 hPa & precipitation · VATNAJOKULL
Each ensemble model calculates many possible outcomes from slightly different initial conditions. Thin lines represent its members and the stronger line their mean. A wider spread indicates greater uncertainty. Compare direct NOAA GEFS/AIGEFS, ECMWF IFS ENS/AIFS ENS and ECCC GEPS data when the corresponding downloads have completed.
The first visit to a new point may require collection time. This section shows the actual status and available range, without inventing members or values.
Weather satellite at the glacier · VATNAJOKULL
Inspect cloud cover using available visible and infrared channels. Image times and geographic coverage depend on the satellite; not every geostationary satellite covers polar regions. Cloud images do not measure glacier thickness.
Open satellite and radar · Powered by www.xionia.com
Glacier history and WGMS observations
Historical observations belong to VATNAJOKULL.
Glacier catalogue — Iceland
Counts cover glaciers with mass-balance or observed front-variation records in this archive. They are not the total glacier population of a country.
| Glacier | Mass balance | Front variation |
|---|---|---|
| VATNAJOKULL | 2020–2025 | — |
MB: Finnur Pálsson · Original CSV series
Recent measurement history — static snapshot
| Year / interval | Annual mass balance |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -1.23 |
| 2024 | -0.384 |
| 2023 | -1.006 |
| 2020 | -0.3 |
Glaciers by country and territory
Why glaciers matter: water, climate and changing mountains
A glacier is a body of snow and ice that flows over land. Snow accumulation adds mass; melting and ice loss remove it. A snowy week is therefore only one part of a much longer balance. NSIDC: glaciers.
Glacier melt contributes to river flow and freshwater supply. Ice stored on land also matters for sea level when it reaches the ocean. Changing ice affects mountain landscapes and the ecosystems connected to meltwater. NSIDC: why glaciers matter.
Use the country pages to move from a broad view to an individual observation record. Then open nearby mountain or ski-resort forecasts to examine temperature, precipitation and wind. These forecasts describe short-term weather; the glacier history describes measured change over years.
How to read glacier mass balance and retreat
Annual mass balance, m w.e. A positive value means net mass gain during the reported hydrological year; a negative value means net loss. Metres of water equivalent express the mass as an equivalent water layer. They are not a direct measurement of metres of ice thickness at one point. WGMS: mass-balance units.
Front variation, metres. This measures movement of the glacier terminus between the stated dates. Negative values mean retreat, positive values advance. A measurement interval may span several years: the chart preserves the interval and does not invent annual values.
Missing years and different methods. Gaps remain gaps. Winter and summer balances are displayed only when reported. Glacier outlines are dated observations of shape, while a mass-balance series measures change; combining them does not turn the map into a live ice forecast.
Planning a mountain visit. Links to nearby destinations show approximate straight-line distances, not routes across ice. Check the destination’s forecast and current local operating information before choosing a ski area or mountain itinerary.
Sources, coverage and updates
Location catalogue: public WGMS service, retrieved 2026-09-14. Historical series are requested from WGMS when you select a glacier, with a seven-day cache. Each series displays its edition and retrieval time. Cached copies are clearly marked when the source is unavailable.
- WGMS — data exploration & public feature service · ArcGIS REST metadata
- WGMS — Fluctuations of Glaciers, database versions · CC BY 4.0
- GLIMS — glacier outlines and map services
- RGI 7 — inventory near the year 2000
- WGMS — annual global and regional mass-change estimates
Forecast and meteogram: available weather models via Open-Meteo or direct NOAA, ECMWF and ECCC/GEM feeds, with source selection. Ensembles use direct official feeds. Weather models and meteorological maps · Embeddable weather widgets.