A cold snap has hit northern Europe for several days, with a record -43.6°C recorded in northern Sweden on Wednesday, the lowest temperature recorded in that territory in a month of January in 25 years. The temperature fell below -30°C for the first time in the municipality of Oslo on Saturday, with -31.1°C recorded in Bjørnholt, north of the Norwegian capital, according to data from the local meteorological institute. The point in pictures.
Realization: Olivier JUSZCZAK
Cold and snowy weather in Motala, Sweden, January 2, 2024. – JEPPE GUSTAFSSON/SIPA
Sweden recorded on Wednesday the lowest temperature in 25 years for the month of January on its territory: -43.6°C in the far north. This cold wave also affects Finland, Norway and Denmark.
Cold and snowy weather during a winter storm on Wednesday in Östergötland County, Sweden, Motala Central Station, January 3, 2024. – JEPPE GUSTAFSSON/SIPA
“To put things in perspective, this is the lowest January temperature Sweden has experienced since 1999,” Mattias Lind of the Swedish National Meteorological Agency SMHI told AFP.
A person walks a dog in the village of Vittangi in Kiruna municipality, northern Sweden, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. – EMMA-SOFIA OLSSON/AP/SIPA
Measured at the Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka station in the northern part of Sweden, it is “the lowest temperature recorded at this exact location since measurements began” at this location in 1888, he states.
Vehicles are stuck on the European route E22 in Ekeröd near Hörby, southern Sweden, Wednesday, January 3, 2024. – JOHAN NILSSON/AP/SIPA
Due to heavy snowfall related to the cold snap in the region, several hundred cars remained stranded in Sweden and Denmark on Thursday morning.
A man runs after a snowfall in Sundbyberg near Stockholm on January 4, 2024. – JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP
In Stockholm, the capital of the Scandinavian kingdom, ten to twenty centimeters of snow is expected on Wednesday, according to SMHI.
A man walks out of the icy sea to the pier south of Helsinki, Finland, Tuesday, January 2, 2024. – VESA MOILANEN/AP/SIPA
In Helsinki, the Finnish capital, where temperatures were around -15°C on January 3, people were unfazed by the even more severe cold forecast by weather services for the coming days.
An aerial photo taken on January 3, 2024 shows snow and ice covering the bay in the Finnish capital Helsinki. — ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO/AFP
“I really like it. It's probably a question of attitude,” responded Katja, a young woman from the city.
An aerial photo taken on January 3, 2024 shows snow and ice covering the bay and harbor off the coast of the Finnish capital Helsinki as a cold snap hits the country. — ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO/AFP
There are also rail disruptions in Finland, where a seasonal record of -38.7 °C was recorded in the north of the Lapland region on Tuesday evening.
A stream in the town of Äkäslompolo in the municipality of Kolari in Finnish Lapland, on Thursday, January 4, 2024. – IRENE STACHON/LEHTIKUVA/SIPA
Elsewhere in the country, water pipes froze in the city of Tampere (southwest) on Tuesday, leaving around 300 people without running water, local media Yle reported.
People skiing in the town of Äkäslompolo in the municipality of Kolari in Finnish Lapland on Thursday, January 4, 2024. – IRENE STACHON/LEHTIKUVA/SIPA
The same applies to the Swedish municipality of Kiruna (North), where around 800 households were without power between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, local media NSD reported, while the outside temperature was -41 °C.
People ice fishing in the town of Äkäslompolo in the municipality of Kolari in Finnish Lapland on Thursday, January 4, 2024. – IRENE STACHON/LEHTIKUVA/SIPA
In Norway, in the Sámi lands in the far north, in Kautokeino, the thermometer fell to -41.6°C on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.
A local resident uses skis to get to work in downtown Kristiansand, Norway, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, as it has snowed heavily in recent days. — GOAL ERIK SCHRODER/AP/SIPA
The temperature fell below -30°C for the first time in the municipality of Oslo on Saturday, with -31.1°C recorded in Bjørnholt, north of the Norwegian capital, according to data from the local meteorological institute.
People try to clear snow from a vehicle on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Kristiansand, Norway. – GOAL ERIK SCHRODER/AP/SIPA
It was as cold as -21.5°C in downtown Oslo overnight.
A person on a bicycle rides on a street during heavy snowfall in Aalborg, North Jutland, Denmark, Wednesday, January 3, 2024. – HENNING BAGGER/AP/SIPA
According to the Meteorological Institute DMI, up to half a meter of snow fell in Denmark, which has not been the case since 2011.
A truck and a car lie in the ditch of an icy road between Odum and Mejlby, Denmark, Thursday, January 4, 2024. – BO AMSTRUP/AP/SIPA
Car traffic was restricted around the city of Aarhus, the country's second largest city (east), where there were huge traffic jams for up to 30 kilometers.
A jogger walks past a heart-like sculpture during snowfall in Stockholm, Sweden, January 2, 2024, while Stockholm City Hall is seen in the background. — ANDERS WILKUND/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP
A large part of France is experiencing a cold episode from Sunday, which will intensify with sub-zero temperatures until Tuesday. Early Monday morning there will be widespread frosts inland and maximum values will often remain negative in the north, Météo-France predicts.