Stockholm warned for extreme weekend rains

The Swedish meteorological institute SMHI has issued a Class 1-warning for Stockholm, the lowest on a three-point scale, for Stockholm, Östergötland and Södermanland.

In Jönköping, where the heavy rain hit on Saturday evening, emergency services were kept busy taking care of flooding in basements and garages.

35 millimetres of rain is expected to fall in the Stockholm area on Sunday.

The rain will continue for most of the day.

“It may stop raining sometime in the afternoon in Södermanland, but Stockholm will have to wait until the evening, when the rain area will move north and weaken,” said SMHI’s meteorologist Anna Hagenblad to news agency TT.

The weather forecast for the upcoming week looks varied, with the mercury hitting 20 degrees Celsius in the south, but with lower temperatures in the north of Sweden.

As for Midsummer’s Eve on Friday, those planning to celebrate outdoors may be in for a stroke of luck:

“Midsummer is looking pretty good right now. It’s in a gap between two low-pressure areas, so it probably won’t rain,” said Hagenblad.

“It looks to be partly cloudy with temperatures of up to 20 degrees in the whole country,” she told TT, warning that the joy may be short-lived, as it appears as though Midsummer’s Day may bring more foul weather.