The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track planetary extreme, or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😜
Main Topic: Mosquitoes Found in Iceland for First Time as Our Emissions Warm Country
Dear Diary. Another sign of our warming climate is pesky insects migrating further north across the Northern Hemisphere than where they have traditionally resided. One story I came across this week was that from Iceland, indicating that mosquitos have made an appearance there for the first time in recorded history. Granted, mosquitoes as giant as birds (or so we are told by exaggerating locals) are quite common in Alaska but never have been seen in the colder clime of Iceland.
Here are more details from the Guardian:
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country | Insects | The Guardian
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insects
A Culiseta annulata mosquito, which is the type found in Kiðafell, Kjós. Photograph: Alamy
Helena Horton Environment reporter
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Mosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time as global heating makes the country more hospitable for insects.
The country was until this month one of the few places in the world that did not have a mosquito population. The other is Antarctica.
Scientists have predicted for some time that mosquitoes could establish themselves in Iceland as there are plentiful breeding habitats such as marshes and ponds. Many species will be unable to survive the harsh climate, however.
Studies have shown that the Arctic region is warming at four times the rate of the rest of the planet, and Iceland has experienced record heat this year. Glaciers have been collapsing and fish from warmer, southern climes such as mackerel have been found in the country’s waters.
As the planet warms, more species of mosquito have been found across the globe. In the UK, eggs of the Egyptian mosquito (Aedes aegypti) were found this year, and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) has been discovered in Kent. These are invasive species that can spread tropical diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus.
Matthías Alfreðsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, confirmed the findings there. He identified the insects himself after they were sent to him by a citizen scientist.
He said: “Three specimens of Culiseta annulata were found in Kiðafell, Kjós, two females and one male. They were all collected from wine ropes during wine roping aimed at attracting moths.”
The species is cold-resistant and can survive Icelandic conditions by sheltering through winter in basements and barns.
Björn Hjaltason found the mosquitoes and posted about it on the Facebook group Insects in Iceland. “At dusk on October 16, I caught sight of a strange fly on a red wine ribbon,” Björn said, referring to the trap he uses to attract insects. “I immediately suspected what was going on and quickly collected the fly. It was a female.”
He caught two more and sent them to the science institute where they were identified.
- This article was amended on 23 October 2025; an earlier version said that Iceland is warming at four times the rest of the planet; in fact it is the Arctic region.
Explore more on these topics
Here are more “ETs” recorded from around the planet the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
Here is More Climate News from Saturday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)