Hej,

In 1979, a blizzard hit southern Sweden. 

Metres of snow piled high along the streets, rural villages were left completely isolated, and people abandoned their snowed-in cars on the motorway.

It’s a winter people still talk about in the southern Skåne region.

Those memories may now have been replaced with 2024.

A truck driver, who was stuck for 20 hours after the snowstorm left 1,000 cars stranded on the E22 road between Hörby and Kristianstad this week, told The Local that he had never seen anything like it in his 30-year career.

Northern Swedes may laugh. After all, temperatures in the south were modest compared to their record-breaking cold of below -40C earlier this week.

I spoke to two of The Local’s readers who live near Luleå and Kiruna about what life is like there when temperatures drop to such extreme levels.

Mainly, you try to stay inside as much as possible, for safety reasons, and heating your house becomes an all-day project. And you wear layers.

In southern Sweden, the problem isn’t so much the temperature or even the snow. It’s the combination of snow and wind, which means that even when the snow ploughs are out, drifting snow quickly renders the roads unusable. 

That’s more or less what happened when the 1,000 cars got stuck in a monster queue. It started on Wednesday when a couple of trucks struggled to climb an icy slope. Then a few cars got stuck behind them, then more cars behind those. Meanwhile, the snow kept falling and eventually no one could get out.

Thankfully, in the end everyone managed to evacuate and although some had to be picked up by ambulance (and everyone was pretty cold, hungry and tired), there were no reports of serious injuries among any of the stranded drivers.

In other news

I hope you had a good holiday. Here are a few stories you may find useful:

Several trains and buses have been flat-out cancelled this past week. But what are your rights as a passenger and can you get your money back? 

If the weather is as bad as it’s been in northern and southern Sweden this week, it’s best not to get in the car at all. But if you do need to drive, make sure you’re well prepared and drive safely (seriously!). Here are our best tips.

Extra powers for security guards, cheaper fuel and tougher punishments for gun crimes. Here are some of the new laws which came into force on January 1st, 2024. And while we’re on the topic of change, we took a look at some of the ways in which Swedish migration rules are set to change this year.

I personally was happy that temperatures fell to around -10C even in southern Sweden towards the end of the week, as it meant I got a chance to clean my woollen sweaters in the snow. Say what now? Yes, snow-cleaning is a thing.

It’s January 6th today, which is a public holiday in Sweden, although it’s not going to do you a lot of good as it falls on a Saturday this year. So what’s so special about this day and do Swedes do anything to celebrate it?

All the best,

Emma Löfgren

Editor, The Local Sweden

Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members that gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to your newsletter preferences.