Unionsleden: which way and when to ride
The best month for Unionsleden is September: 74% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.0 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | 22% | 63 | 0 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.9 † |
| February | 0% | 18% | 47 | 1 °C | 0% | 100% | 9.1 † |
| March | 7% | 15% | 40 | 4 °C | 0% | 93% | 11.6 |
| April | 38% | 17% | 38 | 9 °C | 0% | 60% | 14.4 |
| May | 69% | 24% | 64 | 14 °C | 0% | 13% | 16.9 |
| June | 73% | 27% | 76 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 18.5 |
| July | 67% | 33% | 101 | 21 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.9 |
| August | 64% | 36% | 107 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.5 |
| September | 74% | 26% | 74 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.7 |
| October | 42% | 23% | 72 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 10.0 † |
| November | 6% | 21% | 61 | 5 °C | 0% | 91% | 7.5 † |
| December | 1% | 21% | 61 | 2 °C | 0% | 99% | 6.1 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind near Ørje → Karlstad, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Ørje → Karlstad | Headwind > 15 km/h, Karlstad → near Ørje | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.8 | 7% | 10% | either |
| February | +0.6 | 6% | 8% | either |
| March | +0.9 | 5% | 8% | either |
| April | +0.5 | 4% | 7% | either |
| May | +0.2 | 5% | 6% | either |
| June | +1.4 | 3% | 7% | either |
| July | +1.3 | 3% | 7% | either |
| August | +1.1 | 4% | 7% | either |
| September | +1.0 | 6% | 9% | either |
| October | +0.9 | 7% | 9% | either |
| November | +0.5 | 8% | 9% | either |
| December | +1.6 | 6% | 11% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | +1.1 |
| 25–50 | S | −3.9 |
| 50–75 | SE | −2.0 |
| 75–101 | SE | −2.4 |
| 101–126 | E | +2.8 |
| 126–151 | N | +3.7 |
| 151–176 | NE | +3.5 |
| 176–202 | NE | +3.6 |
| 202–227 | NE | +3.0 |
| 227–254 | E | +0.3 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.