Sweden enjoys a relatively mild climate, vastly different to that found in countries that lie on the same latitude. This is mainly due to the impact the warm ocean stream known as the Gulf Stream that flows off Norway's west coast has on Sweden weather pattern, the country’s many lakes and the gulfs of Bothnia being the other defining factors.

Sweden’s climate can be divided in three distinct zones. The southern regions of the country experience a warm temperate humid climate, the mid and northern regions have a humid Snow Climate while the climate experienced in the mountainous regions is classified as icy.

As a whole though, July is the warmest month of the year with average temperatures between 13 to 17°C, and February the coldest temperatures from - 22 to -3°C, although in Northern Sweden they can drop to -30°C and on occasions even lower. Southern Sweden’s terrain is covered in snow between December and April. The snow season comes rather earlier in Northern Sweden with the first glimpses of snow occurring as early as October.

Midnight Sun

Located in the zone known as the Land of The Midnight Sun, Northern Sweden experiences continuous daylight during part of the summer. Simply put, once the sun arrives, it refuses to set, remaining visible at midnight and for a continuous 24 hours when the weather is fair. The number of days of continuous daylight increases as one goes farther north. This phenomenon does not occur in Southern Sweden, although the region does experiences up to 19 hours of daylight a day in midsummer.

In winter, the Midnight Sun phenomenon is reversed as for a similar period Sweden remains under the wraps of darkness. In the northernmost areas of the country this unique phenomenon is even more pronounced as for around two months the sun remains hidden behind the horizon.