Sweden Climate
Top 5 Cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala, and Västerås
This month in numbers
March 2026 was exceptionally warm for Sweden, ranking as the 4th warmest March in 86 years of records, with an average temperature of 0.5°C, a significant 4.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, March 2026 was the 2nd warmest March on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
The January–March 2026 period in Sweden also saw significantly above-average temperatures, ranking as the 8th warmest such period on record, with an anomaly of +4.2°C. This continues a trend of warmer conditions, with 2025 being the 3rd warmest year on record for Sweden. Sweden's March anomaly of +4.33°C placed it 34th globally for the latest month's temperature anomaly, while the three-month anomaly of +4.18°C placed it 21st. A drought event, classified as green, has been active in Sweden since late December 2025 and continued through April 2026, representing 100% of the annual total of drought events for the country, indicating an unusual concentration.
What’s driving change?
The unusually warm March in Sweden, which saw temperatures in some areas exceeding the 1961–1990 average by up to 7°C, is partly attributed to warming of the Atlantic Ocean linked to climate change. This aligns with the broader pattern of , where high northern latitudes are warming at an accelerated rate. The () was in a distinctly positive phase during March 2026, which typically brings milder, wetter westerly winds to northern Europe. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently in a Neutral phase, with a forecast indicating a likely transition to El Niño conditions during the boreal summer of 2026, which historically has brought cooler late winters to Northern Europe, though very strong El Niños have reversed this trend. [/climate/enso]
Looking ahead
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) anticipates a nearly global dominance of above-normal land surface temperatures for the May-July 2026 season, with a particularly strong signal over Europe.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Sweden
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Sweden changing?
Sweden is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Sweden come from?
Climate data for Sweden comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Sweden climate data cover?
The Sweden climate profile covers Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Sweden
How often is the Sweden climate update refreshed?
The Sweden climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.