Unusually cool June nights
Updated June 2, 2023 Published June 2, 2023
June 2023 has begun with unusually cool nights both in the north and south. Locally, there have been the lowest June temperatures in 30-50 years. Finland even reports a national cold record for June.
Analysis of the weather situation at 14:00 on June 1, 2023 • Illustration SMHI
The overall weather picture
is fairly typical for cold air outbreaks during the summer. We have an area of low pressure over northwest Russia and a powerful high pressure over the North Atlantic. Like a letter in the mail, northerly to northwesterly winds come over Scandinavia.
It is mainly stations in northernmost Sweden and coastal stations in southern Sweden that have experienced unusually cool June nights.
Fresh snow in the far north
Snow has also fallen in northern Lapland. Kiruna reported 4 cm of new snow on Thursday, June 1, and Karesuando and Lannavaara had 1 cm.
In
Katterjåkk, the snow depth increased
from 19 cm at noon on May 31 to a maximum of 31 cm on the morning of June 1.
In Abisko the maximum snow depth was 4 cm. To find a greater snow depth there in June, we have to go to June 12, 1981 when it was also 4 cm. Now it should be said that in both Abisko and Katterjåkk there are automatic snow depth meters with continuous measurements throughout the day. In the past, at best [only] one measurement per day was made.
[New National] Cold Record in Finland
At Finland's highest weather station, Kilpisjärvi Saana (1007 meters above sea level), it was
-7.7° on 1 June 2023, which according to the Finnish weather service is a new Finnish June record. The previous record was -7.0° from Inari Laanila on June 3, 1962. However, measurements at the highest altitudes in Finland have not been taken for many decades.
Kilpisjärvi Saana is located near Treriksröset. Swedish stations in that area are at lower levels. For example, we have never had one on our northernmost mountain Pältsa.
In any case, -7.7° would not match the lowest June temperatures we have had at our highest stations. We only have to go to June 2, 2017 when it was -9.2° in Tarfala (1144 m). On June 2, 1907 it was -12.9° at Vassitjåkko (1372 m).
Article written by Sverker Hellström, SMHI
Sweden • 
