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WEATHER

‘Hottest in 50 years’: Swedish Midsummer set to be a scorcher

This Midsummer could be Sweden's warmest since 1970, weather forecasters say, with temperatures of up to 30 degrees expected for southern Sweden and between 20-25 degrees expected further north.

'Hottest in 50 years': Swedish Midsummer set to be a scorcher
Anna Hållams/imagebank.sweden.se

“It could potentially be the hottest Midsummer’s Eve in 50 years,” SVT’s meteorologist Tora Tomasdottir told the public broadcaster.

In 1970, temperatures of 34.4 degrees were measured in Köping on Midsummer.

“It’s not going to be that hot this year, but we could reach over the 31 degrees measured in Målilla six years ago,” she further told SVT.

“For those planning on partying all night long, you maybe don’t need to take that many extra layers with you, as it will be warm during the evening, too,” Tomasdottir told SVT.

“This is higher, or much higher, than normal when it comes to temperature,” meteorologist Charlotta Eriksson, from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, told TT newswire.

Things are expected to start warming up on Thursday, with the weather looking to remain fine throughout the weekend – so you may be able to host your Midsummer buffet outside this year.

“The weather situation is becoming more stable with a high pressure front moving in from the south,” Eriksson said.

On Midsummer’s Eve this Friday, the weather forecasts are predicting sun across the country, except in the most northerly areas of Sweden, which may see clouds and showers in the morning. However, the weather is also expected to clear up later in the day in those areas.

Those in southern Sweden can expect temperatures of between 25-30 degrees on Friday, with 20-25 degrees further north. In mountainous areas in the far north of the country, the temperature will reach around 15 degrees. Wind could affect these temperatures near lakes and on the eastern coast of the country, Eriksson explained.

“Expect to see onshore winds on the east coast. Considering the sea is relatively cold at this time of year, temperatures will be colder, around 20 degrees, along the coast and on islands in the archipelago,” she said.

“The hot air will stay over the weekend, so it will be really hot during the day.”

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TOURISM

‘Coolcations’: Tourists flock to Norway and Sweden to dodge summer heat

Driven away from typical summer destinations by intense heat and prolonged heatwaves, tourists are flocking to cooler climates like Norway and Sweden for their holidays.

'Coolcations': Tourists flock to Norway and Sweden to dodge summer heat

Far from her home in the tourist mecca of Tenerife, Cati Padilla is one of the growing number of travellers escaping heatwaves for cooler holidays in Nordic countries.

Countries like Norway and Sweden in northern Europe are now promoting “coolcations” to attract visitors to their temperate climates.

Why leave the Canaries in summer? “To escape the heat,” said Padilla while on holiday with her friends.

“Norway attracted our attention a long time ago because of the green landscape, the mountains and the ice,” added the civil servant in her fifties on the so-called “troll path”, a serpentine mountain route towards the fjords.

In 2023, foreign overnight stays rose by 22 percent in Norway and 11 percent in Sweden according to official statistics, mainly driven by the end of Covid-related restrictions in 2022 and a slump in Scandinavian currencies.

But a survey in Germany for tourist organisation Visit Sweden also found that two out of five people plan to change their travel habits due to the southern European heat, opting for different seasons or cooler destinations.

“Coolcation is not just about the weather,” said Susanne Andersson, head of Visit Sweden. “It’s about travelling to places where it’s a little bit cooler both in the weather but also cooler in the sense of not that many people.”

READ ALSO: Why are temperatures of 25C considered a heatwave in Sweden?

For some people, gone are the overcrowded Mediterranean beaches and heatwaves causing forest fires and the partial closure of the Acropolis in the Greek capital in June.

Nowadays, many prefer to take a dip in a lake or a fjord, or fill their lungs with fresh air on a mountain hike in relative isolation.

– Killer summer –

When British tourist Pam disembarked from a cruise ship on the majestic Geiranger Fjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, she expected to find cool weather.

But she found herself in sandals and a t-shirt, rather than the raincoat and woollen clothes she packed.

“It’s been wonderful,” said the resident of Lichfield city in west-central England. “It’s still not that hot that you can’t walk.”

“It just does not interest me now to sit on a sunbed, read a book, get up, go and have something to eat and come back to the sunbed. I’d rather visit places, find the history and just look at beautiful places.”

READ MORE: How will Norway be affected by climate change-driven tourism?

The frequency and intensity of extreme heat events and the duration of heatwaves have “almost certainly” increased since 1950 and will continue to do so with global warming, according to UN climate experts.

By 2050, half of Europe’s population could face high or very high risk heat stress in summer, with heat-related deaths potentially doubling or tripling with temperature rises of between 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to 3C.

“Spain is a no. Greece is a no,” said 74-year-old French pensioner Gerard Grollier, as he disembarked from a coach in Geiranger village in western Norway.

Why Norway? “The climate is much more pleasant,” explained his daughter, Virginie, a financial adviser. “We have not protected our planet, and now that is impacting tourism.”

– Submerged villages –

The capital of Lapland in northern Finland, Rovaniemi, recorded a 29 percent jump in overnight stays last year.

“You can feel the ‘coolcation’ here, the trend started years ago but it has increased with the hot summers in southern and central Europe,” said Sanna Karkkainen, who promotes tourism in Rovaniemi.

The coolcation influx has its issues, including a surge in Airbnb properties and unruly tourists.

“Our main concern is to have too many people at the same time,” emphasised Jan Ove Tryggestad, former mayor of a Norwegian village where a cruise ship carrying 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew members had just docked.

“It’s a small village here. In Hellesylt, there are between 280 to 300 winter inhabitants. Obviously it’s a bit of a culture shock when suddenly a small town, by European standards, turns up,” he added. “But we adapt.”

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