The Swedish capital has recorded just a half-hour of sunlight in the first half of December, putting it on track for the darkest December since 1934 if the trend continues, meteorologists said.<\/p>\n
Sweden, like the rest of the Nordic countries, is accustomed to long, dark winters, with shorter days and longer nights due to their northern location.<\/p>\n
But this December has been exceptionally gloomy and overcast in Stockholm, meteorologist Viktor Bergman at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) told AFP.<\/p>\n
“So far in December — the month isn’t over yet — there’s been only a half-hour of sunlight,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had unstable low pressure systems with mild and humid weather, and that brings lots of clouds. There hasn’t been a chance for the skies to clear.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The sun has also been weak, and its rays have not been able to clear away the clouds,” he said.<\/p>\n
The average amount of sunlight in Stockholm for the full month of December is around 33 hours, according to data compiled from 1991 to 2020, Bergman said.<\/p>\n
He said the sun could make an appearance in Stockholm in the coming days, “but it’s a little uncertain”.<\/p>\n
The darkest December ever recorded in the Swedish capital was in 1934, when the amount of sunlight was so minimal it was “rounded down to zero hours”, Bergman said.<\/p>\n
Other parts of Sweden have fared better this December, with the southeastern town of Karlskrona registering the most sunlight in the country so far, at 12 hours.<\/p>\n
Stockholm has also had no real snowfall this winter, contributing to the sense of darkness as the reflection from snow on the ground helps brighten surroundings.<\/p>\n
That does not look set to change, Bergman predicted, dashing Stockholmers’ hopes of a white Christmas.<\/p>\n
“It’s looking very pessimistic for Christmas.”<\/p>\n
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