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Weather LATEST: Sweden records new hottest day of the year

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Weather LATEST: Sweden records new hottest day of the year
Sun-seekers taking a dip in Oskarshamn on the last day of June. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

Sweden just got a small taste of the blistering heatwave that has left much of Europe sweltering in record temperatures.

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Temperatures reached 33.7C in Oskarshamn on the east coast on Sunday, the hottest day of the year so far.

But it's a far cry from an all-time high of 45.9C in France earlier in the week.

"It's nothing strange. We get these kinds of temperatures every summer," Josef Runbäck, meteorologist for Sweden's national weather agency SMHI told the TT newswire.

Things are about to cool down, with around 20C in southern and central Sweden on Monday, and 10-20C in the north. The rest of the week will bring even cooler temperatures and rain, lasting through the weekend.

"The southern half of the country will get quite a few rain showers. The north will get more continuous rain," said Runbäck.

READ ALSO: How to talk about the weather in Swedish

It is worth keeping in mind that there is still a risk of wildfires in southern and central Sweden, with many areas instituting fire bans apart from at set safe grilling spots.

After last year's summer caused unprecedented wildfires and drought across the country, many in Sweden will likely welcome the rainfall.

More rain and snow in the winter is sorely needed to restore groundwater levels, which are currently below or far below normal in most places. Almost half of Sweden's population rely on the country's large repositories of groundwater for their water supply, and around one million get their water from smaller repositories.

READ ALSO: Can Sweden cope with another summer heatwave?

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