Swedish temperature dips to -39.5°C; coldest night in UK

Frosty fields near Oakham, central England, Thursday Jan. 31, 2019, as the cold snap in Britain continues to cause icy conditions across the country. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

STOCKHOLM — The Swedish weather service said Thursday temperatures of -39.5°C (-39.1°F) have been recorded in northern Sweden, the coldest recorded this month.

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute said the cold temperature was measured in the Swedish town of Nikkaluokta in Lapland, which covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

The service added, however, that on average January has been “warmer than normal.”

Sweden’s news agency TT reported that the coldest temperature ever recorded in Sweden was -52.6°C in 1966 in Lapland.

In Britain, officials recorded the coldest night this winter so far with temperatures dipping to -11°C in Scotland.

The cold snap prompted cancellation of some train services, while Manchester and Liverpool airports were brought to a standstill on Wednesday.  /kga