Storm-Watching from a Truck: Cosy Winter Nights on the Hvítá
Winter storm watching in Iceland gets a bad reputation. Wind rattles the windows, snow blows sideways, roads close for a day. But watched from inside a warm, converted expedition truck parked on the bank of the Hvítá river in Borgarfjörður, a West Iceland storm turns from a problem into the reason you came. You are dry, the kettle is on, and the weather is putting on a show three feet from your bed.
What winter at the trucks actually feels like
The Hvítá Trucks sit at Hvítárbakki, on the same riverbank as The Hvítá Inn, roughly an hour and a quarter (about 110 km) north of Reykjavík and around 35 minutes past Borgarnes. In deep winter this is low, open river country: short days, long blue dusks, and frequent weather rolling in off the West Iceland lowlands. Around the December solstice you get only about 4 to 5 hours of proper daylight, with the sun up near 11:00 and gone by about 16:00, so plan any outdoor activity for the middle of the day and treat the long evenings as the point, not the problem.
Stormy-day plans within reach
When the wind is up but roads are open, Borgarfjörður has good indoor and sheltered options a short drive up the valley. Víðgelmir, one of Iceland’s largest lava caves, is guided and entirely out of the weather. Krauma geothermal baths at Deildartunguhver let you sit in hot water while snow falls, and the Húsafell Canyon Baths sit further up the same valley (roughly 25 minutes on from Krauma). On a genuine weather day, the honest move is to stay put: cook in, watch the river, and wait out the front.
- Getting there: about 1 hr 15 min (110 km) from Reykjavík; roughly 35 min past Borgarnes on Route 1 then local roads to Hvítárbakki.
- Nearby weather-day options: Víðgelmir lava cave, Krauma geothermal baths, Húsafell Canyon Baths — all in the Borgarfjörður valley, upstream of the trucks.
- What to bring: waterproof shell and warm layers, sturdy winter boots with grip, headtorch (for the ~4–5 hr December daylight), and food and snacks stocked from Borgarnes before you head out.
- Timing: arrive with daylight to spare; run errands and any driving early, and keep the evening free for storm and aurora watching.
Check the roads before you drive — every time
Icelandic winter storms are common and can close roads suddenly, so this part is non-negotiable. Check road.is (Vegagerðin, the roads authority) for live conditions and closures, and vedur.is (Veður, the met office) for wind and weather warnings. Do it the night before and again the morning of any drive, because conditions change hourly. If your route shows red or closed, or the wind forecast is severe, postpone — a stocked truck by the river is a fine place to lose a day. Stock up on supplies in Borgarnes on the way in so a weather day never leaves you short.
The upside: storms clear, and the sky lights up
Winter is also aurora season in West Iceland, and the two go together more often than you would think. The same weather systems that bring a storm frequently clear overnight, and December and January give you up to roughly 19 to 20 hours of darkness to catch a break in the clouds. Away from Reykjavík’s glow, the riverbank at Hvítárbakki is dark enough that you can step out of the truck the moment the sky opens and watch for the northern lights, then retreat back into the warm.
Where to Stay
Hvítá Trucks puts you right on the bank of the Hvítá in Borgarfjörður — the ideal front-row seat for storm watching, since the weather and, on clear nights, the aurora happen right outside a warm, snug truck rather than down a cold walk from a lobby. That riverside position, close to the Borgarfjörður valley’s caves and baths but far from city light, is exactly what makes a winter weather day here feel like the experience instead of a wasted one. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.
Photo: Debivort via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.