Reykjavík residents have witnessed a dramatic change in the weather, as record October snowfall that blanketed the Icelandic capital earlier in the week rapidly disappeared under milder temperatures.

On Tuesday, the city recorded more than 40 centimetres of lying snow, the deepest October accumulation on record.

The heavy snowfall caused transport disruption and affected some flights at Keflavík Airport. It followed the issuing of Status Orange weather alerts by the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

By Saturday evening, the landscape had transformed once again. Milder air sweeping in from the southwest sent temperatures climbing well above freezing, triggering a rapid thaw that turned pavements and roads into slushy streams.

Temperatures across the capital rose to 8 degrees on Saturday but were expected to reach highs of just 3 to 4 degrees on Sunday.