Extratropical Cyclone Whips Past Iceland

What happened

The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite captured this image of the extratropical cyclone brushing past Iceland on the afternoon of October 14. Damaging winds extended into northern parts of the country, where residents also braced for sleet and snow.

The powerful low-pressure system formed over the North Atlantic out of the remnants of Hurricane Isaias. Gulf Coast and drenching much of the Eastern Seaboard, the weather system had more in store.

Riding the jet stream east over the North Atlantic, Isaias’s remnants developed into a powerful storm known as an extratropical cyclone . These low-pressure systems often feature asymmetrical, comma-shaped cloud patterns and can strike with hurricane-force winds, rain, and blizzard-like conditions.

During its journey, the system’s air pressure plummeted by more than 50 hectopascals over a 24-hour period, according to reports —approximately double the criteria for explosive cyclogenesis, or bombogenesis . Earth Observatory 2 min read Extratropical Cyclone Whips Past Iceland Image of the Day for October 21, 2026 The powerful low-pressure system formed over the North Atlantic out of the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.

NASA Earth Observatory Oct 21, 2026 Article View more Images of the Day: Oct 20, 2026 Instruments: NOAA-21 — VIIRS Topics: Extreme Weather Hurricane Isaias—the only Atlantic hurricane to date in 2026—made landfall in Florida as a Category 2 storm on October 9. Some meteorologists believe the storm may have set a new October low for barometric pressure in Iceland, after correcting for altitude, likely breaking a record that has stood since 1963.

The cyclone lashed Iceland with high winds as it grazed the coast. A gust of 205 kilometers (128 miles) per hour was recorded near Eyjafjallajökull volcano in the country’s south, while a small island just offshore saw sustained winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour.