Tomtabacken is a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

in the province of

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. It is situated in the southern part of the

Nässjö Municipality Nässjö Municipality (''Nässjö kommun'') is a municipality in Jönköping County, southern Sweden where the town Nässjö is situated. The present municipality was created in 1971 when the ''City of Nässjö'' (instituted in 1914) was amalgama ...

, about 22 km southwest from Nässjö town. The summit area is quite flat, and it has a lookout tower which affords a view over the forested Småland landscape. With a height of 377 meters (1,237 ft), Tomtabacken is the highest point in Småland province and in the southern land of Götaland. The summit of Tomtabacken is accessible by road from the nearby towns of

Malmbäck Malmbäck is a locality situated in Nässjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom o ...

Vrigstad Vrigstad () is a locality situated in Sävsjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom ...

, or on foot along the Höglandsleden trail, which passes beside the lookout tower.

Climate

Temperatures on Tomtabacken are lower all year round than those of the surrounding area. In January the mean daily temperature on the summit falls to around -4°C, which is similar to the temperature in

Dalsland Dalsland () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and ...

Uppland Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...

, both of which are significantly further north. In July the mean daily temperature only reaches around 14°C, comparable with Jokkmokk on the

Arctic circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. The annual mean daily temperature is below 5°C, comparable to Hudiksvall. Although snowfall usually occurs from November to April, in the nearby village of Spinkabo measurable snowfall was observed on 30 September 1995 (12 cm) and 14 June 1982 (7 cm). Since only three months have an mean daily temperature exceeding 10°C, the climate qualifies as subarctic.

References

Hills of Sweden Landforms of Jönköping County Tourist attractions in Jönköping County {{Jönköping-geo-stub