00:57 Wildfires Rage in Sweden Amid Record High Temperatures Wildfires are raging in Sweden -- and there’s no end in sight.

At a Glance Dozens of wildfires are burning in Sweden, prompting a call for help from the EU.

Much of Scandinavia is suffering through a record-smashing heat wave.

There is no end in sight to this heat wave.



Sweden's most serious rash of wildfires in recent history has prompted a call for help from the European Union amid a record-smashing Scandinavian heat wave that shows no signs of letting up.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/sweden-wildfire-aerial-ap-18jul18.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/sweden-wildfire-aerial-ap-18jul18.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/sweden-wildfire-aerial-ap-18jul18.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > This aerial photo shows the advancing fire around Ljusdal, Sweden, as a wildfire sweeps through the large forest area Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (Maja Suslin/Lehtikuva via AP) (Maja Suslin/Lehtikuva via AP)

At least 40 wildfires were burning in parts of Sweden Wednesday, the Local Sweden reported, prompting evacuations in the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Gävleborg and Jämtland.

A pair of Italian planes and eight Norwegian helicopters were assisting firefighting efforts, and Sweden's Civil Contingencies Agency requested more aerial assistance from the European Union in what they told the Local Sweden was the nation's most serious wildfire situation of modern times.

This is happening during a heat wave that is smashing some all-time records across parts of Scandinavia.

Kvikkjokk, a village in northern Sweden just north of the Arctic Circle, topped out at 32.5 degrees Celsius, just above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, setting their all-time record high, according to climatologist and world records expert Maximiliano Hererra .

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/t-anomalies-scandinavia-heat-18jul18-cci.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/t-anomalies-scandinavia-heat-18jul18-cci.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/t-anomalies-scandinavia-heat-18jul18-cci.jpg 800w" > Global Forecast System (GFS) model analysis of global temperature departures from average on July 18, 2018. The Scandinavian heat is highlighted by the red circle. (Climate Change Institute, University of Maine) (Climate Change Institute, University of Maine)

Wednesday, the Kevo observation station in northern Finland set an all-time record for Lapland , reaching 92 degrees, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

(Category 6 Blog: Hot Times for Reindeer )

Downtown Helsinki, Finland, topped the 30-degree Celsius mark – 86 degrees Fahrenheit – for the first time in eight years , according to MeteoFrance meteorologist Etienne Kapikian.

In Norway, an all-time record for the northern Norwegian county of Troms was reached Wednesday when Bardufoss soared to 92.3 degrees Wednesday.

Tuesday, the village of Tana Bru, Norway , at roughly 70 degrees north latitude – just a tad farther south than Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly Barrow) – topped 86 degrees.

According to Hererra, all-time record highs have been set in 14 locations in Norway, 10 locations in Finland and three locations in Sweden.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/europe-heat-dome-500mb-1may-16jul18-ncar.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/europe-heat-dome-500mb-1may-16jul18-ncar.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/europe-heat-dome-500mb-1may-16jul18-ncar.jpg 800w" > Anomalies in upper-level 500mb heights from May 1 through July 16, 2018, illustrating the persistent upper-level high-pressure system (darker orange/red colors) over northern Europe, responsible for the persistent hot, dry weather.

Hot, Dry Since May

This heat wave is just the latest episode of what's been an exceptionally hot, dry late spring and summer so far in northern Europe.

Since May, an expansive high-pressure ridge aloft has stretched across most of northern Europe, from Ireland and the U.K. to Scandinavia.

This blocking high has diverted rain well south over southern Europe, and its sinking air has inhibited rain over northern Europe during that time.

Europe had its warmest May and second-warmest June in continental records dating to 1910, according to NOAA's monthly global climate summaries.

(MORE: One of Earth's Warmest Junes )

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/drought-germany-elbe-river-9jul18-ap.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/drought-germany-elbe-river-9jul18-ap.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/drought-germany-elbe-river-9jul18-ap.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > A large part of the Elbe river bed is dried out during a long time of drought in front of the skyline with the Frauenkirche cathedral (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden, Germany, Monday, July 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

This has led to worsening drought from Scandinavia to the Baltic countries, Poland, Germany, the U.K. and Ireland, according to the Copernicus European Drought Observatory.

The first half of summer – June 1 through July 16 – was the driest in modern records for the U.K., according to the U.K. Met Office.

Visby, Sweden, on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, picked up a mere 1.7 millimeters – 0.07 inches – of rain in May, their driest dating to 1859, according to Sweden's Meteorological and Hydrological Institutes.

After a brief breather in the heat and some rainfall this weekend, another upper-level ridge of high pressure is forecast to intensify over Scandinavia, northern Europe and northwestern Russia next week, possibly persisting into early August.

This also means the northern European drought is likely to worsen over the next few weeks, with the danger of additional wildfires.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com, an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7, and an occasional contributor to The Weather Channel Podcast . Follow him on Facebook and Twitter .