This year's July has generally been the warmest so far in Sweden, with records in several places.
But whether this summer will be the warmest at all depends on how August turns out.
– It has not been completely uniform. At some stations, some heat records have survived. But in general, you can say that we have had real record heat this year, says Sverker Hellström, climatologist at SMHI, to TT about this year's July weather.
A record has also been set for the highest single average temperature measured at a station during July. In Stockholm, the preliminary figure is 22.4 degrees.
– The highest temperatures are usually measured in inner cities. We usually talk about the so-called urban heat island because there are buildings and other things in cities that cause the heat to remain.
This year's July weather has been record-breakingly hot. But if 2018 is to be the hottest summer ever, August will also need to deliver high temperatures.
No record drought
However, the rainfall in recent days, which has been quite heavy in places, has meant that we can no longer speak of a record-breaking dry month of July.
– At some stations, more precipitation has been received in a single rain shower than is normal for the whole of July. But of course, that is welcome in many places.
The recent persistent heat is no guarantee that it will continue to be warm for several weeks to come. In just a couple of days, the weather could potentially change – and instead be characterized by cold northerly winds, says Sverker Hellström.
– Now I'm not saying that it will necessarily be that way, but it's not impossible.
Two previous records
Whether the overall Swedish summer of 2018 will be the warmest remains to be seen. It all depends on what the weather is like in August.
– If we had included May in the official summer statistics, the record would have clearly been broken. But now you can't choose which statistics to use just so we can get a new record. It's still June to August that counts.
The Swedish record temperatures for August were measured in 1997 and 2002, respectively, when it was almost as warm as in July this year.
– Now a small transition to slightly cooler weather begins at the beginning of August, so the heat has to return properly a little later in the month for 2018 to threaten the previous records. We'll have to wait and see where it goes, says Sverker Hellström.
Source: TT
