A heat dome has swelled over Scandinavia, with temperatures more than 20 degrees above normal and spurring some of the region’s hottest weather recorded. Even as far north as the Arctic Circle, the mercury has come close to 90 degrees.
Normally, temperatures in Scandinavia during July warm to the comfortable 60s and 70s. This week, they have soared into the mid-80s to lower 90s.
Since Monday, several locations have approached or surpassed their highest temperatures observed any day or month of the year. They include:
In central Norway, Trondheim Airport hit 90.3 degrees on Monday, an all-time record. Snasa hit 88.9 degrees on Monday, an all-time record. Namsos hit 90.3 degrees Monday, just 0.4 degrees below its all-time record from 2014.
In southern Finland, Turku hit 91.9 degrees on Tuesday, the highest temperature since 1914 when it reached 96.6 degrees. Helsinki witnessed one of its hottest two days on record on Sunday and Monday.
In southern Sweden, Uppsala hit 93.9 degrees on Monday, its highest temperature since 1975.
French meteorologist Etienne Kapikian, who compiled many of these hot weather extremes, tweeted Tuesday’s heat was particularly widespread throughout Finland, where temperatures were at least 86 degrees across much of the country, from south to north.
To the west, Sweden’s national weather agency issued a rare heat warning for temperatures forecast to reach at least 86 degrees five days straight in its central region, according to The Local. This same news organization reported the high temperatures have likely intensified a “historic wildfire outbreak” afflicting the country.
