The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) announced on Tuesday the coldest weather observed on January 5: -44.6C (-48.2F) in Vittangi, Kiruna municipality.
SMHI meteorologist Mattias Lind claimed that he did not immediately notify the public to be sure of such cold data. The measurements were taken at the Kvikkjokk-Arrenjarka station on Wednesday.
To put that into perspective, that is the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999.
A temperature of -49C (-56.2F) was recorded in January 1999, beating the previous high set in 1951.
The recent cold snap has forced local bus operators to suspend services, with rail operator Vy announcing on Tuesday that it had cancelled all trains north of the city of Umea for several days.
The cold front is expected to move southwards over the next few days, with temperatures in the Finnish capital Helsinki dropping to -15C as early as Wednesday.
According to the national weather service, severe cold is also expected to hit Norway by the end of the week, with temperatures in Oslo potentially dropping to minus 27°C this weekend.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Sweden was -52.6C in the Norrbotten region in 1966.
