What's the weather like in Stockholm ?
Stockholm's weather is often thought of as cold and dark. While the city does indeed endure long cold winters, these can often be truly beautiful and the summer months actually see fantastic weather.
The city has a mild temperate maritime climate, meaning that the city has four very distinct seasons. The temperature range, however, is actually surprisingly small and there are cold winters and mild summers. Winter nights are long and dark, while summer evenings seem to last forever.
Rain falls frequently throughout the year but Sweden is in fact one of Europe's driest countries. This can be explained by the fact that the mountainous landscapes of western Norway provides some shelter. Those mountains block the steady (south)western winds carried by the jet stream, the southwest being the dominant wind direction in Western Europe and the main reason that part of the continent receives more than its share of precipitation.
Spring Weather in Stockholm
The transitional season of spring is a time of great change in Stockholm as the dramatic shift between winter and summer happens. Early spring still sees frequent snowfalls, but by May warm sunny weather is common.
Rain
Spring is the driest time of year, with precipitation totals ranging between 26mm in March and 30mm in April and May. While March is the driest month in terms of total rainfall, April and May with their 11 days with some kind of precipitation have the lowest number of rainfall days.
Sunshine
After the short and dark days of winter, spring is characterised by a dramatic increase in daily sunshine hours. The season starts off with 4 hours of sunshine in March, a number that doubles in April and reaches 10 in May, which is the third sunniest month of the year.
Temperature
Just like the amount of sunshine, the temperatures also rise drastically throughout spring. March is definitely the coldest month of the season with an average temperature of no more than 0°C. April is considerably warmer, although not yet comfortable, with its average temperature of 5°C. May indicates that summer is finally on its way; its average temperature is 11°C. It continues to freeze at night through March, while the occasional night frost can still happen in April. May can be considered to be completely frost-free.
Sea Temperature
Sea temperatures are never high enough for swimming in spring, ranging between 2°C in the beginning and 6°C at the end of the season.
Summer Weather in Stockholm
Temperature
The days being very long and pleasantly warm, summer is a great time to visit Stockholm. With daily highs averaging 22°C and lows averaging at 13°C, July is the warmest month. Temperatures can sometimes get into the high 20s on particularly sunny days, and the mercury has even been known to rise into the 30s in mid-summer.
Sea Temperature
The sea temperature peaks in August, with an average water temperature of 17°C.
Rain
While they are undoubtedly the warmest months of the year, July and August are, however, also the wettest months of the year. Although those two months have the most rain in terms of volume, the number of days with rainfall on average during the month is less than in winter. Showers are normally brief, but heavy. July is the wettest month with its 72mm of rainfall; August with its 66mm is a close second.
Sunshine
Perhaps the best thing about summer in Stockholm is the amount of daylight. It only really gets dark for a couple of hours a night. In June, the sunniest month, there is an average of 12 hours of sunshine per day; the sky is very changeable with clouds sent scudding across the sky by sea winds. July has 11 hours of sunshine per day on average; August has 9. The reason June has the highest number of sunshine hours is that this is when the summer solstice takes placehe longest day of the month, which is a huge event in Sweden and the cause of many events and festivals around the country, including Stockholm.
Autumn Weather in Stockholm
Autumn is the opposite of spring. This season is characterised by rapidly decreasing day length, dropping temperatures and relatively steady rainfall.
Rain
Precipitation is basically constant throughout the entire season, ranging from 55mm in September to 50mm in October to 53mm in November. It should be noted, though, that these numbers aren't exceptionally high.
Sunshine
September has 7 hours of sunshine per day on average, a number that drops to no more than 2 by November, which is one of the darkest months of the year, together with December and January.
Temperature
Truly cold temperatures don't arrive until November. At this time, the first snow of the season fallsn exciting time for the many winter sports enthusiasts in the city. September has a fairly pleasant average temperature of 12°C with peaks of 15°C in the afternoon and nighttime lows of around 9°C. October is already noticeably colder, the overall day temperature averaging 8°C. November days are 3°C warm on average; 4°C in the afternoon and 1°C at night.
Sea Temperature
While the sea temperature may still be high enough for swimming in the beginning of September, when it is around 14°C, it swiftly decreases as the season progresses. By November, the sea temperature is 7°C on average.
Winter Weather in Stockholm
Sunshine
Winter is a very different story and features very short, dark days. The shortest day of the year is just 6 hours, compared with nearly 19 in midsummer. The lack of daylight can make things pretty dismal in winter especially in a period of grey, rainy weather. December and January are two of the darkest months of the year, with no more than 2 sunshine hours each day on average. February isn't all too much sunnier with its 3 hours of sunshine daily.
Temperature
Lows below zero occur in the city from December until March; snowfall is also common during these months. In December, January and February the mercury rarely climbs above freezing at any time of day, the average temperatures being respectively -1°C, -3°C and -3°C.
Rain
Precipitation falls as snow from November to February and despite the gloom that can encompass Stockholm in winter, the city blanketed under a layer of snow is a stunning sight, especially in the prolonged twilight. It can make it a magical time to visit for those that don't mind braving the cold.