Climate - Gotland (Sweden)

In Gotland, the largest Swedish island, the climate is Baltic semi-continental, with very cold winters and mild summers. The location on the sea makes the climate milder than in the mainland, but also windier.
Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation is not abundant, since it amounts to 500 millimeters (20 inches) per year, but it's well distributed over the seasons. Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to March, is cold: the average temperature in January and February is slightly below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). Night temperatures are almost always below freezing, typically by a few degrees, while daytime temperatures are around freezing. Snowfalls are frequent, though usually not abundant. There are also periods when the temperature exceeds freezing, the snow melts and it can rain, but wind and humidity increase the feeling of cold. On the other hand, in other periods, the temperature drops more significantly below freezing, though less than in the mainland. However, the coldest records are around -20/-22 °C (-4/-8 °F).

In spring, in April and May, the temperature increases rapidly. In April, cold days are still possible, with some snowfalls; by May, the daytime temperature becomes milder, but at night, it can still be cold. On the other hand, spring is a quite sunny season, and the days become very long, at least by mid-April.

Summer, from June to August, is mild: the maximum temperatures are typically about 20 °C (68 °F). At night, it can get cold in June, and again in late August, but sometimes, the temperature can drop below 10 °C (50 °F) also in July and August. Some days can be very cool and rainy. There are also pleasantly warm and sunny periods, with highs about 25/27 °C (77/81 °F). In July 2010, the temperature reached as high as 33 °C (91 °F).

In Autumn, from September to November, the temperature decreases rapidly, the days become shorter and the sun rarer. The rains are frequent, and in November, but sometimes also in late October, the first snowfalls occur.



The amount of sunshine in Gotland is slightly better than in mainland Sweden, and it's acceptable from April to September. In winter, both because of the short days and because of the frequent periods of bad weather, the sun is rarely seen. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Given the latitude (57°38'N in the main town, Visby), the white nights, in which the sun sets but it does not get completely dark even at midnight, occur from May 22 to July 21.

The sea in Gotland is cold to swim in: the water temperature is still 12 °C (54 °F) in June, and reaches 17 °C (63 °F) in July and 18 °C (64 °F) in August. However, it doesn't seem to be a big problem for Swedes and tourists from other Nordic countries. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit the island of Gotland is the summer, from June to August, since it is the mildest of the year. June is cooler than July and August, but it's a bit less rainy and has longer days. Notwithstanding the fact that pleasant or even warm days in which you can sunbathe may occur, it's better to bring a sweatshirt or sweater, a light jacket and maybe an umbrella.