Norway saw over 241,000 lightning strikes in July—five times more than last year—causing fires, power outages, and heavy workload for line crews, with warnings extending into August.
SOS Alarm in Norrbotten, Sweden is experiencing extreme call volumes from approximately 20 fires triggered by lightning in a heatwave, resulting in delayed emergency response times.
Thunderstorms with heavy lightning have ignited several wildfires across Vestland, prompting weather warnings and emergency responses in Hardanger, Gloppen, Kvinnherad, and Øygarden.
Lightning strikes from passing thunderclouds have ignited forest fires in several inland municipalities in Norrbotten County, Sweden, prompting rescue services to work to extinguish them.
Norrbotten experienced one of its longest recorded heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 25 °C for over two weeks and setting century-old records in Haparanda and Jokkmokk, according to SMHI.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute reports that July 2025 was exceptionally warm across Finland, with Lapland’s Ylitornio experiencing a record 26-day heatwave.
Observations From Members 