'Brittsommar' ..record late fall in parts of Sweden

Indian summer, a blessing before the onslaught of winter. 

  • 2013 – the year of a beautiful and surprisingly long summer in Sweden, topped off with a gorgeous ”brittsommar” or Indian summer. ”Brittsommar” (Indian summer in English) got its name from the October 7 name day, Birgitta and Britta. Around this time it was common to have a special ”Britt Mass” (Brittmässa), a fall fair of sorts. It is therefore sometimes said that only periods when it is warm around October 7 can be called ”brittsommar”. Photo: Peter Rufi
  • In the U.S. it is called Indian summer, in Sweden it’s ”brittsommar”, a period with warm, sunny, and summerlike days during early fall. This year, summer in Sweden was great, and fall hasn’t been this late, according to meteorologists, in 100 years.

  • We’re closing in on October and in the southern parts of Sweden, the leaves have barely begun to yellow. Still many people feel it’s a bit chilly. ”It’s because it was warm for so long that we now feel as if it’s cold,” says Christoffer Hallgren, meteorologist at Foreca. In the mornings, temperatures are around 5-10 degrees Celsius (41 – 50 F), which is completely normal for the season in the south. Further up north, fall is quite delayed. Already towards the end of August, it usually has its grip on Norrland and by September 1st, fall tends to have arrived in all of Norrland. Today however many in the north still have fresh memories of the summer season.
    ”Fall hasn’t been this late in Norrland in a hundred years. It even arrived earlier in the south, which is unusual,” Hallgren says. And although many have tweeted about the snowfall in Dalarna recently, and about the snow that’s now piling up high in the mountain region, it is much too soon to bring out the skis. ”It is so warm on the ground that the snow won’t stay long,” says Hallgren.

  • ”Brittsommar” (Indian summer in English) got its name from the October 7 name day, Birgitta and Britta. Around this time it was common to have a special ”Britt Mass” (Brittmässa), a fall fair of sorts. It is therefore sometimes said that only periods when it is warm around October 7 can be called ”brittsommar”.