Stockholm braves coldest June weather in 84 years: experts

Stockholm registered its coldest June weekend in 84 years, with temperatures hitting a maximum of just six degrees Celsius (43 Fahrenheit), meteorologists said Sunday.

On Saturday, as blustery winds and heavy rain fell on the capital, "Stockholm reported a high of just six degrees. We have not seen such a low June temperature since 1928," the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) wrote in a statement.

And the cold and wet looked to be settling in for the better part of the coming week.

"On Thursday and Friday the weather will stabilise a bit with fewer showers and a little more sun, and temperatures will slowly rise," the institute said, noting however that another rainstorm was due to move in over the country next weekend.

The cold spell came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Stockholm on Sunday, holding talks with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt while on a boat ride in Stockholm's picturesque archipelago.

Even Bildt commented the cold on his blog: "The weather continues to be lousy, but we'll have to compensate for it with the warmth of our relationship during Hillary Clinton's visit here today."

After the long, cold winter, the chilly and wet weather of late has left many Swedes longing for warmer climes.

Charter group Ving said Saturday its tour bookings increased by 31 percent during the past week from the previous week.

"Summer is coming soon and people don't dare take a chance (on the weather in Sweden), they want to make sure they get some sun during their holiday," Ving spokeswoman Magdalena Oehrn told Swedish news agency TT.