The warm North Atlantic Current means that Iceland is inhabitable, unlike many other places at a similar latitude. Winters are mainly mild and a little windy with summers being cool and wet. Luckily in terms of links to the outside world, at least before the advent of widespread air travel, is that Iceland’s coast remains ice-free even throughout the winter. The north is generally colder and dryer than the south, with the most extreme weather situated in the northern Highlands. The highest ever temperature recorded in the capital Reykjavík was 24.8 degrees Celsius in August 2004, but this sort of heat is rare. Put simply, it is not a place for a sunbathing holiday.