Severe Thunderstorms Lash Eastern and Southern Sweden with Thousands of Lightning Strikes

On July 5, 2026, eastern and southern Sweden experienced a severe thunderstorm event marked by thousands of lightning strikes and heavy rainfall. The storm was active from the afternoon, starting around 3 PM, and especially intense across eastern Svealand, southern Gästrikland, and Småland. According to meteorologist Anders Wettergren from SMHI, the region saw intense showers accompanied by thousands of lightning strikes per hour.

In Örebro län alone, over 100 lightning strikes were recorded within a few hours. Overall, approximately 4,000 lightning strikes were reported throughout the affected areas. The storm's severity caused a barn fire in Dalarö, Haninge municipality, attributed to lightning, though no injuries were reported. The weather also disrupted local activities; notably, a football match between Kalmar FF and Örgryte IS in the Allsvenskan league had to be temporarily paused due to the thunderstorm.

Heavy rainfall accompanied the storm system, with preliminary SMHI data indicating that Rödkallen in Norrbotten received over 52.6 millimeters of rain. The intense weather was expected to weaken and clear by evening, with variable cloudiness forecast for the following day. Authorities responded promptly to incidents caused by the storm, including police assisting fire services at the barn fire site.