Climate of Sweden

Köppen climate classification types of Sweden using the 0°C isotherm

Köppen climate classification types of Sweden using the -3°C isotherm

The south of Sweden has a temperate climate, despite its northern latitude, with largely four distinct seasons and mild temperatures throughout the year. The winter in the far south is usually weak and is manifested only through some shorter periods with snow and sub-zero temperatures, autumn may well turn into spring there, without a distinct period of winter. The northern parts of the country have a subarctic climate while the central parts have a humid continental climate. The coastal south can be defined as having either a humid continental climate using the 0 °C isotherm, or an oceanic climate using the –3 °C isotherm.

Overview

Due to the increased maritime moderation in the peninsular south, summer differences between the coastlines of the southernmost and northernmost regions are about 2 °C (4 °F) in summer and 10 °C (18 °F) in winter. This grows further when comparing areas in the northern interior where the winter difference in the far north is about 15 °C (27 °F) throughout the country. The warmest summers usually happen in the Mälaren Valley around Stockholm^[1] due to the vast landmass shielding the middle east coast from Atlantic low-pressure systems in July compared to the south and west. Daytime highs in Sweden's municipal seats vary from 19 °C (66 °F) to 24 °C (75 °F) in July and −9 °C (16 °F) to 3 °C (37 °F) in January. The colder temperatures are influenced by the higher elevation in the northern interior. At sea level instead, the coldest average highs range from 21 °C (70 °F) to −6 °C (21 °F). As a result of the mild summers, the arctic region of Norrbotten has some of the northernmost agriculture in the world.^[2]

Sweden is much warmer and drier than other places at a similar latitude, and even somewhat farther south, mainly because of the combination of the Gulf Stream^[3][4] and the general west wind drift, caused by the direction of planet Earth's rotation. Continental west-coasts (to which all of Scandinavia belongs, as the westernmost part of the Eurasian continent), are notably warmer than continental east-coasts; this can also be seen by comparing e.g. the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Halifax, Nova Scotia with each other, the winter in west coast Vancouver is much milder; also, for example, central and southern Sweden has much milder winters than many parts of Russia, Canada, and the northern United States.^[5] Because of Sweden's high latitude, the length of daylight varies greatly. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets for part of each summer, and it never rises for part of each winter. In the capital, Stockholm, daylight lasts for more than 18 hours in late June but only around 6 hours in late December. Sweden receives between 1,100 and 1,900 hours of sunshine annually.^[6]

Temperatures expected in Sweden are heavily influenced by the large Fennoscandian landmass, as well as continental Europe and western Russia, which allows hot or cool inland air to be easily transported to Sweden. That, in turn, renders most of Sweden's southern areas having warmer summers than almost everywhere in the nearby British Isles, even matching temperatures found along the continental Atlantic coast as far south as in northern Spain. In winter, however, the same high-pressure systems sometimes put the entire country far below freezing temperatures. There is some maritime moderation from the Atlantic which renders the Swedish continental climate less severe than that of nearby Russia. Even though temperature patterns differ between north and south, the summer climate is surprisingly similar all through the entire country in spite of the large latitudinal differences. This is due to the south's being surrounded by a greater mass of water, with the wider Baltic Sea and the Atlantic air passing over lowland areas from the south-west.

Apart from the ice-free Atlantic bringing marine air into Sweden tempering winters, the mildness is further explained by prevailing low-pressure systems postponing winter, with the long nights often staying above freezing in the south of the country due to the abundant cloud cover. By the time winter finally breaks through, daylight hours rise quickly, ensuring that daytime temperatures soar quickly in spring. With the greater number of clear nights, frosts remain commonplace quite far south as late as April. The cold winters occur when low-pressure systems are weaker. An example is that the coldest ever month (January 1987) in Stockholm was also the sunniest January month on record.^[7][8]

The relative strength of low and high-pressure systems of marine and continental air also define the highly variable summers. When hot continental air hits the country, the long days and short nights frequently bring temperatures up to 30 °C (86 °F) or above even in coastal areas. Nights normally remain cool, especially in inland areas. Coastal areas can see so-called tropical nights above 20 °C (68 °F) occur due to the moderating sea influence during warmer summers.^[9] Summers can be cool, especially in the north of the country. Transitional seasons are normally quite extensive and the four-season climate applies to most of Sweden's territory, except in Scania where some years do not record a meteorological winter (see table below) or in the high Lapland mountains where polar microclimates exist.

Extremes

The highest temperature ever recorded in Sweden was 38 °C (100 °F) in Målilla in June 1947,^[10] a record shared with Ultuna in Uppland.^[10] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −52.6 °C (−62.7 °F) in Vuoggatjålme on 2 February 1966.^[11]

Precipitation

On average, most of Sweden receives between 500 and 800 mm (20 and 31 in) of precipitation each year, making it considerably drier than the global average. The south-western part of the country receives more precipitation, between 1,000 and 1,200 mm (39 and 47 in), and some mountain areas in the north are estimated to receive up to 2,000 mm (79 in). Despite northerly locations, southern and central Sweden may have almost no snow in some winters. Most of Sweden is located in the rain shadow of the Scandinavian Mountains through Norway and north-west Sweden. The blocking of cool and wet air in summer, as well as the greater landmass, leads to warm and dry summers far north in the country, with quite warm summers at the Bothnia Bay coast at 65 degrees latitude, which is unheard of elsewhere in the world at such northerly coastlines.

Climate change

This section is an excerpt from Climate change in Sweden.[edit]

Temperature rise in Sweden's climate (1750–2013)

Climate change has received significant scientific, public and political attention in Sweden. In 1896, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius was the first scientist to quantify global heating.^[12] Sweden has a high energy consumtion per capita, but reducing the dependency on fossil energy has been on the agenda of cabinets of the Governments of Sweden since the 1970s oil crises.^[13] In 2014 and 2016, Sweden was ranked #1 in the Global Green Economy Index (GGEI), because the Swedish economy produces relatively low emissions.^[14] Sweden has had one of the highest usages of biofuel in Europe and aims at prohibiting new sales of fossil-cars, including hybrid cars, by 2035, and for an energy supply system with zero net atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.^[15]

Since the end of the 19th century, the average annual temperature has risen by almost two degrees Celsius, which can be compared to global warming of just over one degree.^[16] Sweden's winter temperature is predicted to further increase by as much as 7°C (13°F) by 2100 in a worst case scenario. This will increase the percentage of precipitation that comes from rain instead of snow.^[17] The Baltic Sea could see a surface water temperature increase of up to 4°C (7°F). This will decrease sea ice cover by the end of the century.^[17]

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) produces guidelines and resources to help citizens adapt to climate change.^[18] The MSB keeps flood and landslide maps online, and guidelines for decision-making in case of disasters.^[19]

Governmental efforts include policy instruments and legislation to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Policy instruments include taxing carbon dioxide emissions, issuing renewable energy certificates, subsidizing renewable energy initiatives, and making investments in R&D.

It is predicted that as the Barents Sea gets less frozen in the coming winters, becoming thus "Atlantified", additional evaporation will increase future snowfalls in Sweden and much of continental Europe.^[20]

Examples

Climate charts

Gothenburg
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     62     1 −4     41     1 −5     50     5 −2     42     9 1     51     16 6     61     19 10     68     20 12     77     20 12     81     16 8     84     11 6     84     6 1     75     3 −3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: Climatedata.eu[21]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.4     34 25     1.6     34 23     2     41 28     1.7     48 34     2     61 43     2.4     66 50     2.7     68 54     3     68 54     3.2     61 46     3.3     52 43     3.3     43 34     3     37 27 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Kiruna
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     30     −11 −21     25     −8 −22     26     −4 −18     26     0 −9     33     8 −1     48     15 5     86     18 7     73     15 5     49     10 0     47     −2 −10     41     −6 −13     34     −8 −19 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: SMHI.se[22]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.2     12 −6     1     18 −8     1     25 0     1     32 16     1.3     46 30     1.9     59 41     3.4     64 45     2.9     59 41     1.9     50 32     1.9     28 14     1.6     21 9     1.3     18 −2 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Nyköping
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     40     0 −6     25     0 −6     25     3 −4     30     8 0     30     15 5     45     20 10     60     22 13     50     22 11     55     15 7     45     11 4     50     5 −1     45     1 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: SMHI.se[22]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6     32 21     1     32 21     1     37 25     1.2     46 32     1.2     59 41     1.8     68 50     2.4     72 55     2     72 52     2.2     59 45     1.8     52 39     2     41 30     1.8     34 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Stockholm
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     39     −1 −5     27     −1 −5     26     3 −3     30     9 1     30     16 6     45     21 11     72     22 13     66     20 13     55     15 9     50     10 5     53     5 1     46     1 −3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: HKO[23]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.5     30 23     1.1     30 23     1     37 27     1.2     48 34     1.2     61 43     1.8     70 52     2.8     72 55     2.6     68 55     2.2     59 48     2     50 41     2.1     41 34     1.8     34 27 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Swedish Meteorological Institute, SMHI's monthly average temperatures of some of their weather stations – for the latest scientific full prefixed thirty-year period 1961–1990 Next will be presented in year 2020. The weather stations are sorted from south towards north by their numbers.

Table

stn.nr.	station	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
5337	Malmö	0.1	0.0	2.2	6.4	11.6	15.8	17.1	16.8	13.6	9.8	5.3	1.9	8.4
6203	Helsingborg	0.6	−0.1	2.0	6.0	11.2	15.3	16.7	16.6	13.6	9.9	5.2	1.8	8.3
6451	Växjö	−2.8	−2.8	0.0	4.7	10.2	14.3	15.3	14.9	11.2	7.0	2.3	−1.2	6.1
7839	Visby	−0.5	−1.2	0.7	4.1	9.5	14.0	16.4	16.0	12.5	8.6	4.3	1.2	7.1
7447	Jönköping	−2.6	−2.7	0.3	4.7	10.0	14.5	15.9	15.0	11.3	7.5	2.8	−0.7	6.3
7263	Göteborg	−0.9	−0.9	2.0	6.0	11.6	15.5	16.6	16.2	12.8	9.1	4.4	1.0	7.8
8323	Skövde	−2.8	−2.9	0.0	4.6	10.6	15.0	16.2	15.2	11.1	7.1	2.2	−1.1	6.3
8634	Norrköping	−3.0	−3.2	0.0	4.5	10.4	15.1	16.6	15.5	11.3	7.2	2.2	−1.4	6.3
9516	Örebro	−4.0	−4.0	−0.5	4.3	10.7	15.3	16.5	15.3	10.9	6.6	1.3	−2.4	5.8
9720	Stockholm Bromma	−3.5	−3.7	−0.5	4.3	10.4	15.2	16.8	15.8	11.4	7.0	2.0	−1.8	6.1
9739	Stockholm Arlanda	−4.3	−4.6	−1.0	3.9	9.9	14.8	16.5	15.2	10.7	6.4	1.2	−2.6	5.5
10458	Mora	−7.4	−7.2	−2.4	2.5	9.1	14.1	15.4	13.5	9.3	4.9	−1.6	−6.1	3.7
10740	Gävle	−4.8	−4.5	−1.0	3.4	9.3	14.6	16.3	14.9	10.6	6.0	0.6	−3.3	5.2
12724	Sundsvall	−7.5	−6.3	−2.3	2.5	8.2	13.8	15.2	13.8	9.4	4.8	−1.5	−5.7	3.6
13410	Östersund	−8.9	−7.6	−3.5	1.3	7.6	12.5	13.9	12.7	8.2	3.8	−2.4	−6.3	2.6
14050	Umeå	−8.7	−8.3	−4.0	1.4	7.6	13.3	15.6	13.8	9.0	4.0	−2.3	−6.4	2.9
15045	Skellefteå	−10.2	−8.7	−4.2	1.2	7.6	13.6	15.7	13.5	8.5	3.2	−3.4	−7.5	2.5
16288	Luleå	−12.2	−11.0	−6.0	0.3	6.6	13.0	15.4	13.3	8.0	2.6	−4.5	−9.7	1.3
16395	Haparanda	−12.1	−11.4	−6.8	−0.5	6.1	12.8	15.4	13.2	8.0	2.5	−4.2	−9.5	1.1
16988	Jokkmokk	−17.5	−14.9	−8.6	−1.1	5.9	12.2	14.3	11.8	5.7	−0.2	−9.3	−14.6	-1.4
17897	Tarfala (a mountain peak)	−11.8	−11.3	−10.6	−7.5	−1.9	3.2	6.4	5.3	0.8	−3.9	−7.9	−10.7	-4.2
18076	Gällivare	−14.3	−12.5	−8.4	−1.9	5.0	11.0	13.0	10.7	5.6	−0.6	−8.1	−12.2	-1.1
18094	Kiruna	−13.9	−12.5	−8.7	−3.2	3.4	9.6	12.0	9.8	4.6	−1.4	−8.1	−11.9	-1.7

^[24][25]

Climate data for Stockholm (Observatorielunden), 1991-2020 normals and extremes
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	11.0 (51.8)	11.6 (52.9)	17.5 (63.5)	26.1 (79.0)	29.0 (84.2)	31.7 (89.1)	34.2 (93.6)	32.1 (89.8)	26.2 (79.2)	19.5 (67.1)	15.0 (59.0)	12.7 (54.9)	34.2 (93.6)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	6.6 (43.9)	7.1 (44.8)	12.0 (53.6)	18.8 (65.8)	24.3 (75.7)	27.5 (81.5)	29.7 (85.5)	28.2 (82.8)	22.4 (72.3)	15.8 (60.4)	10.7 (51.3)	8.5 (47.3)	30.6 (87.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	1.0 (33.8)	1.2 (34.2)	4.7 (40.5)	10.7 (51.3)	16.5 (61.7)	20.8 (69.4)	23.6 (74.5)	22.1 (71.8)	16.6 (61.9)	10.1 (50.2)	5.4 (41.7)	2.5 (36.5)	11.3 (52.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−1.0 (30.2)	−1.0 (30.2)	1.6 (34.9)	6.3 (43.3)	11.4 (52.5)	15.7 (60.3)	18.7 (65.7)	17.7 (63.9)	13.1 (55.6)	7.7 (45.9)	3.6 (38.5)	0.6 (33.1)	7.9 (46.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−2.9 (26.8)	−3.2 (26.2)	−1.1 (30.0)	2.6 (36.7)	7.1 (44.8)	11.6 (52.9)	14.8 (58.6)	14.2 (57.6)	10.2 (50.4)	5.5 (41.9)	1.9 (35.4)	−1.2 (29.8)	5.0 (41.0)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−11.2 (11.8)	−10.9 (12.4)	−7.5 (18.5)	−2.6 (27.3)	1.9 (35.4)	7.0 (44.6)	10.6 (51.1)	9.7 (49.5)	4.6 (40.3)	−0.8 (30.6)	−4.5 (23.9)	−8.3 (17.1)	−13.7 (7.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−19.3 (−2.7)	−21.0 (−5.8)	−14.6 (5.7)	−6.7 (19.9)	−1.4 (29.5)	3.7 (38.7)	7.8 (46.0)	6.5 (43.7)	1.2 (34.2)	−6.4 (20.5)	−11.3 (11.7)	−18.5 (−1.3)	−21.0 (−5.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	37.0 (1.46)	29.4 (1.16)	27.3 (1.07)	29.2 (1.15)	34.0 (1.34)	61.7 (2.43)	61.5 (2.42)	66.2 (2.61)	53.3 (2.10)	51.4 (2.02)	47.6 (1.87)	47.8 (1.88)	546.4 (21.51)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	23.3 (9.2)	25.6 (10.1)	18.1 (7.1)	5.9 (2.3)	1.1 (0.4)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.8 (0.7)	6.6 (2.6)	20.3 (8.0)	102.7 (40.4)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	44	75	151	217	278	277	279	235	170	96	45	33	1,900
Source 1: SMHI Open Data[26]
Source 2: SMHI 1991-2020 normals[27]

See also

• Climate of Norway
• Geography of Sweden

References

1. "Dataserier med normalvärden för perioden 1991-2020" (in Swedish). SMHI. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
2. "Det norrländska klimatets fördelar" (in Swedish). Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
3. "BBC Climate and the Gulf Stream". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
4. Watts, Harvey Maitland (1900). "The Gulf Stream Myth". Monthly Weather Review. 28 (9): 393–394. Bibcode:1900MWRv...28..393W. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1900)28[393:TGSM]2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
5. "Global Climate Maps". Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006.
6. "Normal solskenstid för ett år" (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
7. "Precipitation, Sunshine & Radiation for January 2015 (all-time records section)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
8. "Temperature & Wind – January 2015 (all-time records section)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
9. "Tropiska nätter" [Tropical nights] (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
10. "Svenska temperaturrekord". Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
11. "Weather Data: Sweden, Vuoggatjalme, 1966, February". geographic.org. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
12. Weart, Spencer (2008). "The Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Effect". The Discovery of Global Warming. American Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
13. "Energifrågan - Uppslagsverk - NE.se". www.ne.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-02-09.
14. Tamanini, Jeremy; Dual Citizen LLC (September 2016). Global Green Economy Index 2016. Dual Citizen LLC.
15. Allerup, Jonas. "Sweden's Climate Act and Climate Policy Framework". Swedishepa.se. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
16. "Climate indicator - Temperature". www.smhi.se. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
17. "SOU 2007:60 Sweden facing climate change – threats and opportunities". www.government.se.
18. "Plan your home preparedness". www.msb.se. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
19. "The flood portal". gisapp.msb.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-02-27.
20. Bailey, Hannah; Hubbard, Alun; Klen, Eric S.; Mustonen, Kaisa-Riikka; Akers, Pete D.; Marttila, Hannu; Welker, Jeffrey M. (1 April 2021). "Arctic sea-ice loss fuels extreme European snowfall". Nature Geoscience. 14 (5): 283–288. Bibcode:2021NatGe..14..283B. doi:10.1038/s41561-021-00719-y. hdl:10037/20941. ISSN 1752-0894. S2CID 232765992.
21. "Climate Gothenburg - Västra Götaland". Climatedata.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
22. "Temperatur | SMHI" (in Swedish). FIXME: Smhi.se. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
23. "Climatological Normals of Stockholm". Hko.gov.hk. 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
24. The weather stations' names and numbers are first found at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
25. "Average Temperatures for each Months and Annual Average". Archived from the original on 9 October 2013.
26. "Ladda ner meteorologiska observationer | SMHI". Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
27. "Dataserier med normalvärden för perioden 1991-2020 | SMHI". Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.