Think of Sweden at Christmas and you probably imagine a white landscape. But this map series from Newsworthy, based on SMHI meteorological data, shows how reality varies by latitude and has shifted over time.
On the map, white areas had at least 1 cm of snow on December 24. Teal-green areas, “barmark” in Swedish, had bare ground. Each map covers one year between 1975 and 2024.
The far north stays white almost every year. Norrbotten and Västerbotten keep their Arctic winter climate intact. The southern third of Sweden is a different story. Skåne, Halland, the western coast used to get snow most Christmases. By the mid-2000s, green became the norm there.
Earlier decades tell one version of Swedish winter. The 1970s and 1980s were mostly white, with green appearing only at the southernmost tip and a few coastal spots. Then something shifts. Years like 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2016 show bare ground pushing far north into central Sweden. Recent years look similar — 2022 and 2024 both have large green sections across the south. The snow line has crept northward.
SMHI data shows Sweden has warmed by about 1.9°C since the late 1800s, roughly double the global average. All but two years since 1988 have been warmer than the 1961-1990 average. Winter snow cover now lasts16 fewer days on average compared to 30 years ago.
