Which nordic country do you think has the greatest potential to break the 38.1C barrier? (hottest, warmest)

[kronan123]

Here are the 4 only +37C readings i'm aware of
+38.0C MÃ¥lilla, Sweden (1947-06-29)
+38.0C* Ulltuna, Sweden, 1933-07-09) (error marginal of +-0.5C)
+37.4C Uppsala, Sweden, (1933-07-27)
+37.2C Liperi, Finland, (2010-07-29)

here's all nordic countries all time heat records (i don't include iceland for obvious reasons).

Norway: Nesbyen 35.6C (1970-06-20)
Demmark: Holstebro 36.4C (1975-08-10)
Sweden: MÃ¥lilla, 38.0C (1947-06-29)
Finland: Liperi, 37.2C (2010-07-29)

I'd say this is a very tricky one. I imagine that southernmost interior Denmark sooner or later is gonna have that epic south/ southwesterly blowtorch during a 2003-year style central european heatwave. So that's the country i feel has the most hidden potential. Don't know if it will manage to break 38C though. Swedens records are old, and the highest temperature in the country since 1994 is just 35.2C. South-eastern finland is a great contender, but i feel it had its chance during the 2010-heat wave and i'm not sure it can be muched more maxed out than that. Norway doesn't have the right geographical setting to manage it at all IMO.

overall, i give as slight edge to denmark for breaking this record.

[EverBlack]

I think Sweden because of nearer record highs and because it's more continental, as well

[The East Frisian]

I give my vote to Finland, if another freak heat wave occurs again in Russia and extended a little bit more northwards then the 38°C could be possible broken i think.

Not sure about MÃ¥lilla beating that record again, can you explain something about its topography, why it got so hot there in 1947 and is it often the hottest spot of the country in summer?

[Dean York]

Sweden has been the closest, so I guess Sweden would be more likely. I think Finland could do it too as it's been close fairly recently.
I don't think Norway will ever reach 38C. Not sure about Denmark though.

[Ariete]

TBH, I don't see that happening in the near future. The setting has to be just so perfect, and we might had our chance in 2010. I'll still gonna bet on SE Finland, as I put more trust in a massive Russian heatwave than a Western European one.

[kronan123]

Originally Posted by The East Frisian

I give my vote to Finland, if another freak heat wave occurs again in Russia and extended a little bit more northwards then the 38°C could be possible broken i think.

Not sure about MÃ¥lilla beating that record again, can you explain something about its topography, why it got so hot there in 1947 and is it often the hottest spot of the country in summer?

here's some information from SMHI. just pasted it into google translate.

How is it that stations such as Malilla and Nikkaluokta sometimes be the coldest in the country and other times warmest?

Well, the stations are situated in valleys, and such is warmer than the hills around during summer days when the temperature decreases with height about 0.7 degrees per 100 meters. The heat can be further accentuated by the so-called föhneffekt (assumes that precipitation falling on the west side of the mountain range and highlands of southern Sweden).

On clear and calm nights you get instead is often the coldest air close to the ground and then cold air is heavier than warm "runs" extra cold air down into the valleys

[Caleb Yeung]

I give my vote to Finland since Liperi came close in 2010.

[Ariete]

Here's the nationalwide highs for that period in 2010:



As you can see the 37.2C was the last breath of that heatwave.

[Ethereal]

Either Finland or Sweden.

[Jakobsli]

I voted Sweden. Reaches almost as far south as Denmark, and slighly less oceanic (further away from the North Sea).
Could be Finland though...


Norway is less likely. However, several all time heat records have been smashed the latest years, and the all time high of 35.6C might be in line.

The all time high record for March was 19.8C. In 2012, a spring heat wave crushed the record (after more than 140 years of recording), many stations were warmer, and warmest was Landvik near Grimstad (south coast) recording 23.1C on 27.March 2012. Record moved 3.3C!
This is a rural area with little or no UHI:
Ny varmerekord: 23.1 grader! - NRK
I really am curious about how warm this day was in Sweden and Denmark? Was it warmer?

In the first half of June 2011 a valley in Northern Norway at 67 N hit 30C four consecutive days, and on 11. June 2011 a max of 33.8C was recorded. This seems to have been warmest in Europe at that particular day! Warmer than all Mediterranean Europe! Very rare that a Nordic country is warmest in Europe in summer, and this was early June when the far north is still warming up, and it was north of the Arctic Circle!
Europe`s Extremes 11th June 2011 - Saltdal (Norway) 33.8oC -

The warm air hitting Northern Norway from SE must have crossed Finland and Sweden. But Saltdal, as much of Norway, is west of the Scandinavian mountain chain, so the air on the western side of the mountains is clear and dry. If this weather situation had happened in mid-July and not in early June, Saltdal could potentially have hit 36C.
This is in the far north. In the valleys in the far south, there should be potential for 2C higher temperature due mostly to higher sun angle during day.

I would not be surprised if the all -time heat record for Norway is broken within a few years. But 38C is extremely unlikely IMO.