Sweden Climate
Top 5 Cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala, and Västerås
This month in numbers
Sweden experienced its 2nd warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 4.37°C, a significant 3.2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February–April 2026 also ranked as the 3rd warmest on record for the country, with an anomaly of +4°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, continuing a trend of exceptionally warm conditions.
What changed
The past three months have seen Sweden experiencing significantly warmer-than-average conditions, ranking 14th globally for its 3-month temperature anomaly. This warming trend is part of a broader pattern across Europe, which is warming faster than any other continent. Sweden's April anomaly was 0.76°C warmer than the overall European average. The country is also currently experiencing a drought, which has been ongoing since late December 2025 and represents 100% of the drought events logged for Sweden over the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration of this event.
What’s driving change?
The pronounced warmth in Sweden is largely influenced by , where high northern latitudes are warming at an accelerated rate. This regional warming is also exacerbated by the land warming faster than the ocean. Additionally, the can steer winter storms and influence temperature patterns in Northern Europe. Sweden was also impacted by Storm Dave in early April 2026, which brought hurricane-force winds and caused widespread power outages, highlighting the vulnerability of infrastructure to extreme weather events. The ongoing drought in southern Sweden, with unusually low groundwater levels, is a significant concern, with some areas experiencing levels not seen since the 1970s or early 1990s.
Looking ahead
The forecast for the coming months indicates a high probability of El Niño developing, with a 98% chance by August–October, which typically brings cooler late winters to Northern Europe, though very strong El Niños have historically flipped this trend.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
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.