During Thursday, a strong thunderstorm moved in over parts of Svealand and Götaland. Eight young people had to be taken to hospital in the evening after lightning struck a football field on Lidingö outside Stockholm.
But the thunderstorm had slipped under the radar of meteorologists and no warning had been issued. According to SMHI, this is because the thunder arose in warm air, which makes it more difficult to predict.
– It was very difficult for our models to capture this, says SVT’s meteorologist Maria Augutis.
– We caught the strong band that moved over Värmland and northwestern Götaland well, but not the one that came over Stockholm, as it can be sometimes.
“Can bubble up out of nowhere”
Sudden storms and thunder are particularly common in late summer, according to the meteorologist, which is partly due to the fact that the air is warm and humid then.
– There is a lot of energy in the air and then these thunderstorms can bubble up out of nowhere. It can really go from brilliant sunshine to lightning and thunder in no time, says SVT’s meteorologist Maria Augutis.
On Friday, SMHI issued yellow warnings for thunderstorms in eastern Svealand, Stockholm county and parts of Södermanland and Uppsala counties, where heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected.
– You have to be on your guard, it will continue to be noisy even today in the eastern regions, says meteorologist Maria Augutis.