Midsommar weather

The weather for the midsummer's weekend is a national obsession in Sweden. Margaret has told me that it rains more often than not on the big day.

So I took a look on the internet for historical data. First I had to calculate the actual date of the midsummer holiday, as it's set as the Saturday that falls within June 20-26. (It was on my birthday in 2000 and 2006; this year, it's early; the 20th.)

Then a look on www.wunderground.com gave me the Stockholm observations on the appointed Saturdays this decade. The results were:

• Average high 18.6C/66F
• Average low: 12.6C/55F
• Rain: on 5 of the 9 dates

So Margaret's right. It rains more often than not on Midsummer, although, thankfully, it doesn't always rain.

NB: These are Stockholm observations and the weather is different in the archipelago, although I think the general trend is correct.