What Are the Warmest Cities in Sweden?

As a Scandinavian country stretching beyond the Arctic Circle, when you think of the climate in Sweden, you probably think of its long, dark winter and sub zero temperatures. Northern Sweden is definitely cold, with sub zero temperatures lasting long past April in the coldest regions. But not all parts of Sweden are as cold as northern Sweden. In fact, some cities in southern Sweden have surprisingly warm weather for their latitude, mostly due to the impact of the warm Gulf Stream.

In this article I’ll share with you my list of the warmest Swedish cities with at least 10,000 residents. I’ll cover the top 10 with the warmest weather in more detail and then present the entire ranking in a table with 52 major cities in the country.

Top 10 Warmest Cities in Sweden

Here are the top 10 warmest places in Sweden. The places are ranked by their annual daily mean temperature. Each city also includes temperatures in January (the coldest month) and July (the warmest month).

1. Karlskrona – 9.7 °C

The city of Karlskrona on the southern coast is the warmest city in Sweden. While it doesn’t have the highest daytime summer temperatures in the country, it has the mildest winters with average highs between 4-6 °C in the coldest months. Even average low temperatures in Karlskrona don’t go below zero. But of course, if there’s strong wind, it will make cold days colder, possibly with a sub-zero sensation. While summers aren’t the warmest, they’re still pleasant.

Average high temperature in January: 4 °C

Average high temperature in July: 22 °C

2. Helsingborg – 9.35 °C

If you’d rather have slightly colder winters in exchange for properly warm days in the summer, Helsingborg is your best bet. Located in southwestern Sweden across the Øresund Strait from Denmark, it has the hottest Swedish summers with temperatures going above 24 °C. Cold weather sets in the city in December, with nighttime temperatures around zero degrees Celsius and going down to -1.8 °C in January and February.

Average high temperature in January: 2.5 °C

Average high temperature in July: 24.3 °C

3. Lund – 9.25 °C

Lund has a climate that’s between that of Karlskrona and Helsingborg. It has slightly warmer winters than the latter and warmer summers than the former. Like Helsingborg, two winter months (January and February) have temperatures below zero at night.

Average high temperature in January: 3 °C

Average high temperature in July: 23.2 °C

4. Malmö – 9.2 °C

Malmö is the warmest largest city in Sweden, closely followed by Gothenburg which is much larger but slightly cooler. Malmö has a mild and sunny for Swedish standards climate with 1,917 sunshine hours a year. It ranks above Göteborg because it has higher temperatures in the summer.

Average high temperature in January: 2.9 °C

Average high temperature in July: 23.2 °C

5. Gothenburg – 9 °C

Gothenburg (Göteborg) is the second most populous city in Sweden after Stockholm. It’s warmer than Stockholm by about a degree, with an average temperature of 9 °C compared to 8.15 °C in Stockholm. Gothenburg has cooler summers than the previous cities except for Karlskrona.

Average high temperature in January: 3 °C

Average high temperature in July: 22.5 °C

6. Kristianstad – 8.7 °C

Kristianstad is located inland roughly halfway between Karlskrona and Helsingborg. Its climate is a split between these two cities, with cooler winters but higher summer average temperatures than in Karlskrona.

Average high temperature in January: 2.7 °C

Average high temperature in July: 23.1 °C

7. Karlshamn – 8.7 °C

Karlshamn is located about 57 km west of Karlskrona. Like Kristianstad, it has a climate that offers cooler winters than Karlskrona but slightly warmer summers.

Average high temperature in January: 2.8 °C

Average high temperature in July: 22.7 °C

8. Varberg – 8.65 °C

Varberg is a city on the west coast of Sweden, 75 km south of Gothenburg. Known for its wide, sandy beaches, Varberg has some of the coolest summer temperatures in this ranking.

Average high temperature in January: 2.2 °C

Average high temperature in July: 22 °C

9. Halmstad – 8.4 °C

Halmstad is located on the west coast of Sweden, 81 km north of Helsingborg and 73 km southeast of Varberg. It has similar cool winter temperatures to Varberg, with slightly warmer summers.

Average high temperature in January: 2 °C

Average high temperature in July: 22.8 °C

10. Oxelösund – 8.25 °C

Oxelösund is the tenth warmest city in Sweden when we look at the daily mean temperature. Located furthest north out of the ten cities on this list, about 112 km southwest of Stockholm, the city has the coldest winters in this ranking, with average nighttime temperatures below zero between December and March.

Average high temperature in January: 1.6 °C

Average high temperature in July: 22.6 °C

Top 52 Warmest Swedish Cities Ranked by the Average Temperature

Here’s a table with 52 major Swedish cities that have at least 10,000 residents. Some cities are missing because no climate data was available for them. The data comes from SMHI.

You may also be interested in articles about the warmest cities in other European countries.