Record-breaking freeze persists in Sweden

Stockholm: Temperatures have plummeted even further in Sweden, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) said on Friday.

Minus 43.8 degrees Celsius was recorded at the northernmost weather station in Naimakka on Thursday afternoon, SMHI added.

It was the coldest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years, following previous 25-year-lows of minus 43.6 and minus 41.6 measured at other northern weather stations earlier in the week, Xinhua news agency reported.

Although trains in the North remained cancelled to avoid the risk of passengers becoming trapped in freezing temperatures in case of power outages, no major traffic disruptions due to the weather were reported on Friday.

Earlier in the week, around 1,000 vehicles became stuck on the E22 highway in the southernmost part of Sweden due to heavy snow.

All the motorists had been evacuated by Thursday morning, some after sitting for nearly 24 hours in their vehicles, Swedish Television reported.

The cold weather will persist over the weekend, with temperatures of between minus 30 and minus 20 degrees in Northern Sweden. Meanwhile, single-digit negative temperatures are expected for Monday, SMHI said.