Severe thunderstorm over Malmö brings
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Severe thunderstorm over Malmö brings nearly 1,000 lightning strikes per half hour

A severe thunderstorm has moved in over Öresund and Malmö, heading northeast. There are now in the order of just under a thousand lightning strikes per half hour in the area where it is most intense, says Katarina Andersson, meteorologist at SMHI. That's a lot of lightning for Sweden, she adds.

So far, the very strong gusts of wind and the heavy rainfall that were warned about have not materialized. But they could still come.

Unpredictable, says Katarina Andersson about the storm.

From its position on Sunday morning over Öresund and the Malmö area, it is heading across the country in a northeasterly direction.

"It might be a bit later today over Öland and Gotland too. The Stockholm region is still a bit in the danger zone, so we still have a warning over that area too," says Katarina Andersson.

The storm - which can also produce heavy hail - has been created by the heat and what the SMHI meteorologist calls "unstable air masses".

There could be flooding in basements and stormwater systems where it hits. There could be disruptions in electricity and telecommunications networks. You should avoid being out in open fields and standing under trees, and you should not be in water, swimming or near water, says Andersson about how you should behave when you get caught in the storm.

A yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued for large parts of southern and central Sweden during the day, while SMHI's warnings for high temperatures in the southeastern parts of the country remain in effect.

Also ahead of Monday, SMHI is issuing yellow warnings for torrential rain in parts of Jämtland, Ångermanland and southern Lapland.

On Monday, high temperatures of at least 33 degrees are also expected in many places, such as in parts of Blekinge, Kalmar and Kronoberg counties.

SMHI has three levels of weather warnings:

Yellow warning: Consequences for society, some risks to the public.

Orange warning: Serious consequences for society, danger to the public.

Red alert: Very serious consequences for society, great danger to the public.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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