Storm Dave Hits Sweden: Impact and SMHI Response

Storm Dave brought hurricane-force winds to Sweden over the Easter weekend of April 4 to April 6, 2026, resulting in widespread power outages, significant infrastructure damage, and severe disruptions to national transport networks.

The storm, a deep low-pressure system named by the British Met Office, struck the west coast with hurricane-force gusts measured by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) at 36 to 38 meters per second. In central Gothenburg, storm-force gusts reached up to 29 meters per second.

SMHI issued an orange weather warning, the second-highest alert level, for northwestern Götaland, the entire Gothenburg area, and the southwesternmost parts of Svealand. This warning remained valid from 12 p.m. On April 5 until 2 a.m. On April 6. Orange warnings were issued for storm gusts across Bohuslän on April 5 and April 6, while yellow weather alerts were implemented for other regions of Götaland and Svealand.

Transport and Infrastructure Disruptions

The Swedish Transport Administration reported extensive disruptions caused by high winds and fallen trees. In Gothenburg, the Älvsborgsbron bridge was closed in both directions, and boat traffic on the river was suspended until further notice. Tram services were unable to cross Hisingsbron after a contact line collapsed.

Rail travel faced severe interruptions. SJ cancelled a large number of departures between Stockholm Central and several cities, including Gothenburg, Malmö, Karlstad, Oslo, Hallsberg, Västerås, and Linköping, with some cancellations lasting until the evening of April 6.

Several rail sections remained closed until at least 7 a.m. On April 6, specifically the routes between:

• Nässjö and Landeryd
• Nässjö and Vetlanda
• Jönköping and Vaggeryd
• Kalmar and Linköping

Road traffic was similarly impacted. The Swedish Transport Administration reported an increasing number of fallen trees across roadways, and a barn roof was blown onto road 44 between Uddevalla and Trollhättan. Speed limits were introduced on certain road sections in Bohuslän and the Gothenburg area, while bus traffic between Borås and Gothenburg operated with reduced frequency and without the use of double-decker buses.

Power Outages and Local Impact

The storm caused significant failures in the power grid. Approximately 30,000 subscribers to Eon, Vattenfall, and Ellevio in the Gothenburg area experienced power outages at 8 p.m. On April 5. Svenska kraftnät later reported that roughly 11,000 households remained without electricity as repair work continued.

On the island of Tjörn, Ellevio announced that power had been restored after more than 24 hours of outages caused by the storm.

Emergency services in Greater Gothenburg reported a high workload due to the weather. Mikael Lindgren, an alarm and control operator for the service, noted that trees had fallen in several locations and a boat was found on its side at Packhuskajen.

Recovery and Current Status

As of April 7, 2026, recovery efforts are ongoing. In Skåne, some rail services have resumed, including traffic between Malmö Hyllie and Svedala. However, trains between Helsingborg and Teckomatorp remained cancelled, with expectations to return to normal service by 12 p.m. On April 8.

Other regional disruptions persisted, including delayed ferry traffic between Gränna and Visingsö on Lake Vättern due to technical problems.

While some windy conditions have persisted, SMHI has indicated that the winds are expected to subside.