Today, 12 October, is the 100-year anniversary of the 1918 eruption of Katla. The volcano is considered one of the most hazardous of Iceland's 32 active volcanic systems. During the last 1100 years, Katla has erupted at least 21 times, with an average repose interval of around 50 years. The current one-hundred-year repose marks the longest period since a Katla eruption. The Katla volcanic system is located in the eastern volcanic zone. It is characterized by an 80-km-long fissure swarm and an ice-clad central volcano. The central volcano is covered by the Mýrdalsjökull ice-cap and it includes a 9 by 14 km caldera, with ice-thickness up to 700 m.

The consequences of this summer's weather have included droughts, heatwaves and wildfires, straining the society's capacity to cope with such perils. Most of the Nordic and Baltic countries have experienced the hottest summer on record, while the number of days with rain in parts of Iceland was exceptionally high. Was this summer just an exceptional freak event or is this due to climate change? And if this is due to climate change – what can be done?

The first hazardous weather of this autumn is expected later this week which is unusually early this year. Strong northern winds are forecast from Wednesday until early Saturday morning. Precipitation associated with this weather will mostly fall on the northern part of the country in the form of rain, sleet or snow. At any point during this bad weather sleet or snowfall can be expected down to sea level.