According to SMHI’s monthly weather report, March was a colder month than usual. In fact, Karesuando experienced its coldest March since 1981, while Naimakka and Värmland’s Östmark-Åsarna saw their coldest March since 2001 and 2013, respectively. Only southern Götaland had temperatures slightly above normal, as Norrland had the biggest deviations from normal. However, SMHI meteorologist Linnea Rehn Wittskog notes that while some local areas posted record-breaking temperatures, this was not representative of the whole country. Furthermore, this year’s unusually cold March is comparable to that of 2018.
Moving into April, the cold has persisted in various parts of the country, with Arvika and Uppsala seeing their coldest April nights since 1985 and Storlien dropping to -22.6 degrees, a temperature not seen in Jämtland since 1961. Sadly, the cold is expected to continue for the coming week, with no guarantees of plus degrees or sunshine during the Easter weekend. However, there is a slight chance of milder weather in southern Sweden with temperatures possibly reaching up to 10 degrees, along with some sun, if the weather is more stable.
In terms of temperature, March was a colder month than usual, shows SMHI’s compilation of the month’s weather. In Karesuando, March was the coldest since 1981, in Naimakka the coldest since 2001 and in Värmland’s Östmark-Åsarna the coldest since 2013. In the country as a whole, only southern Götaland had temperatures just above normal.
– The biggest deviations from the normal have been in Norrland. But also in the rest of the country it has generally been colder than usual, says SMHI meteorologist Linnea Rehn Wittskog.
Locally some have records that stretch further back in time. In Nikkaluokta and Karesuando, temperatures of -36.8 degrees were recorded on March 24. It hasn’t been this cold in Karesuando this side of the vernal equinox since 1916.
– That some stations had their lowest temperature in 107 years is not a fair picture of the country as a whole. This year’s March is more comparable to that of 2018, when it was also unusually cold. But not too many people remember it, because it is above all the summer heat wave that you remember, says Linnea Rehn Wittskog.
When March turned into April, the cold continued in several parts of the country. Both Arvika and Uppsala, -12.2 degrees and 9.4 respectively, had their coldest April nights since 1985. In Storlien, the mercury dropped to -22.6. To find a similar April temperature in Jämtland society, you have to go back all the way to 1961.
The cold air is expected to linger over large parts of the country during the coming week. When the Easter weekend comes, in other words, there are no guarantees for plus degrees and sunshine.
– There is a slight chance that it will be milder next weekend, especially in southern Sweden. There can be temperatures up to 10 degrees, and it looks like the weather may be a bit more stable. With the stable weather, there can also be some sun, says Linnea Rehn Wittskog.