Global Warming Hits Sweden

Temperatures hit MINUS 40C as Sweden sees its coldest January night for 25 years

• Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland saw the mercury drop to minus 43.6 C
• The cold weather also hit Finland, Denmark and Norway and is moving south

Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius in the Nordic region for a second day in a row Wednesday, with the coldest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years.

In Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6C (minus 46.5 F), the coldest temperature in the country in January since 1999, Sweden's TT news agency reported.

Nikkaluokta, a village inhabited by indigenous Sami people, recorded a temperature of minus 41.6C on Tuesday. 

The village is in Lapland, which stretches from northern parts of Norway through Sweden and Finland to Russia.

Ida Dahlström, of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, said northern Sweden had overnight temperatures of minus 25-35C 'and the cold seems to stay there for the rest of the week.'

SWEDEN: Temperatures fell below minus 40C for a second day in a row today, with the coldest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years

In Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to -43.6C (-46.5F), the coldest January temperature since 1999. In the northern Kiruna municipality, pictured, the temperature reached -38.9C

Swedish forecasters said the extreme cold is set to remain for the rest of the week

Sweden's lowest ever recorded January temperature was -49C (-56F) on January 27, 1999, in the town of Karesuando near the Finnish border.

The latest icy spell - which has also brought snow and gale-force winds - disrupted transport throughout the Nordic region, with several bridges closed and some train and ferry services suspended. Several schools in Scandinavia were closed.

Meteorologist Mattias Lind, of Sweden's national weather agency SMHI, said of the -43.6C figure: 'To put that into perspective, that is the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999.'

It was also the lowest temperature recorded at that specific spot since measurements began in 1888, he added. 

Several other stations recorded temperatures of below -40C in Sweden's north.

While residents of the region are used to seeing freezing temperatures, the recent cold snap has forced local bus operators to suspend services, and train operator Vy said on Tuesday that it had cancelled all trains north of the city of Umea for days.

In Finland, the weather is forecast to remain cold across the nation with temperatures down to -35C (-31F) in the north, at least until Sunday.

Trains were also disrupted.

FINLAND: A swimmer climbs out of the icy sea in Helsinki on Tueday. It is expected to remain bitterly cold across the nation for days, with temperatures down to -35C in the north

A hardy local drags his kayak across the frozen sea in southern Helsinki on Tuesday

The Senate Square by Helsinki Cathedral is dusted white as the Finnish capital is blasted by cold weather

The cold front is expected to move south over the next few days, with Helsinki already seeing temperatures falling to -15C on Wednesday

DENMARK: A snowplough clears roads buried deep in snowdrifts in Aalborg today

A lone walker braves the cold amid heavy snowfall in Randers, Denmark, today

Heavy snowfall in Viborg, central Jutland, Denmark, Wednesday January 3

Vehicles drive next to a pedestrian amid heavy snowfall in Randers, Denmark, January 3

People ride bikes amid heavy snowfall in Aalborg, Denmark, January 3

Several instances of frozen or burst water pipes were also reported, and Finnish broadcaster YLE said around 300 people in the city of Tampere were left without running water on Tuesday.

The cold front is expected to move south over the next few days, with the Finnish capital Helsinki already seeing temperatures falling to minus 15C on Wednesday.

But despite colder temperatures being expected tomorrow, some of the capital's residents were unfazed by the prospect.

'I'm really loving it. It's a mindset thing I guess,' Katja, a woman in Helsinki, told AFP news agency on Wednesday.

'It's all about the clothing,' she said, wearing a thick black winter jacket with the hood pulled over her head.

'Yeah, just a lot of clothes and the attitude - Like it's going to be cold but it's beautiful,' her friend Nita agreed as snow fell.

Police across most of Denmark urged motorists on Wednesday to avoid unnecessary trips as wind and snow battered the northern and western parts of the country.

The Danish Meteorological Institute said there was a risk of snowy and icy roads in large parts of the country and issued an orange warning - its second highest - for strong rains in the south, which is battling flooding.

NORWAY: A person skis on the pavement after heavy snowfall in Kristiansand, January 3,

Icicles hang from the lamp posts as a woman makes her way through a snowstorm in Kristiansand, southern Norway, on January 3

The extreme cold is also expected to hit Norway towards the end of the week, with temperatures in Oslo potentially falling to minus 27C this weekend, according to the national weather service.

Heavy snowfall has already impacted the south of the country with school closures and cancelled flights.

Further south, parts of Germany - where the weather has been mild and wet - were also grappling with flooding, which could be aggravated by new rain in the worst-affected northwestern state of Lower Saxony.

Police near the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven said strong winds may have played a role in the death of a 75-year-old man who fell off his bicycle late Tuesday as high winds lashed much of the Netherlands.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12922945/Temperatures-hit-MINUS-40C-Sweden-sees-coldest-January-night-25-years.html