The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) has issued a yellow danger warning for torrential rain and thunder across parts of Västernorrland, Västerbotten, and Norrbotten counties.

The warning indicates a heightened risk of harsh weather conditions, and residents have been asked to take necessary precautions.

The yellow danger warning covers two distinct periods and regions, the TT news agency noted.

In Norrbotten and northern Västerbotten, the warning is active from 10 am to 11 pm on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in eastern Västernorrland and southern Västerbotten, the warning is active from 3am to 12pm on Wednesday.

During these periods, the SMHI expects between 30 and 60 millimetres of rainfall, which poses a risk of localised flooding.

The institute also noted the possibility of substantial local variations in rainfall amounts.

A wet week

According to meteorologists at the SMHI, heavy rain is expected along a front over northern Norrland on Wednesday, where intense showers could bring substantial precipitation in a short time.

This area of heavy rain will continue to move northeast, affecting the inner parts of Norrbotten and eastern Lapland throughout the day.

However, pinpointing exactly where the heaviest rain will fall remains challenging, and torrential rain may occur even in areas adjacent to the warning zone.

In general, the weather across Sweden is predicted to be unstable.

Showers are expected to spread over northern Norrland, Svealand, and Götaland. Southern Norrland will see more cloud cover, though occasional breaks in the clouds are anticipated.

The highest afternoon temperatures, up to 25 degrees Celsius, are expected in Uppland, Södermanland, and Tornedalen.

Meanwhile, the inner parts of Norrland and Dalarna will see temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees, with the rest of Sweden hovering around 20 degrees.

Thursday is predicted to be a transitional day between periods of rain, especially in Götaland, where extensive and occasionally intense showers will likely persist over Svealand and southernmost Norrland.

Northern regions may experience scattered showers, while the rest of the country will see variable cloudy weather.

Forecasts for the weekend and next week

As the weekend approaches, a weather front system moving in from the southwest is expected to bring widespread precipitation across Sweden.

Although the exact timing of this rainfall is uncertain, it is expected to affect much of the country throughout the weekend.

Looking ahead to next week, the rain is expected to move slowly north and remain over northern Norrland until mid-week.

However, in the southern parts of Sweden, the weather is likely to become more stable, with clearer skies during the day.