Sweden braces for year’s first real sunshine

 

It's time to pack away the ice skates and throw the winter mittens into storage. Spring has sprung in Sweden – at least for those in the south. 

 

Spring officially arrives in Sweden when the weather has been above zero, on average, for seven days in a row. The first day of that seven-day stretch is the first day of spring, meaning spring hit Stockholm on February 21st this year.

 

But the sun hasn't truly shown its face yet, and Swedish weather agency SMHI predicted it finally would this weekend. 

What's the forecast for your corner of Sweden?

 

Stockholm can expect 8C, sunshine, and clear skies on Saturday, followed by a pleasant 10C on Sunday. 

 

Malmö in the south can expect 8C highs on both Saturday and Sunday, with similar temperatures forecast for Gothenburg.

 

But if you're looking for real sunshine, head to the Småland coast where weekend temperatures are expected to reach 15C.

 

It's not all good news for the Swedes, however, as central Sweden will be drenched in rainstorms and temperatures close to zero. SMHI also issued a class two warning for the far northern mountain regions due to predicted strong winds and snowfall.