Will winter come to Sweden?

The fall has been long and mild in Sweden, but winter may be on its way, according to the Swedish Meteorological Institute, SMHI.

The Meteorological Institute says Sweden is experiencing the most modest minimum temperatures this far into November since recordkeeping began in 1859. And there has been very little snow. Last week, all measuring stations in the country were snow free. It is the first time all stations were snow free this late into November since recording began in 1904.

Meteorologists say winter comes when the daily temperature is below 0 Degrees Celsius for five days in a row. Already in October, a few areas in the Lapland mountains in northern Sweden were officially in winter. “But now it looks like winter is ready to advance,” Alexandra Ohlsson, meteorologist at SMHI, tells news agency TT.

But in the southern part of Sweden, it seems as though winter will have to wait a while longer.

Originally posted Sunday, November 13, 2011