It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and has a population of approximately 126,000 in the city proper.

The natural center of the city is otherwise Örebro Castle, situated on an islet in the Svartån, and dividing the town into a northern and a southern part.

This castle was constructed during the stewardship of Birger Jarl during the late 13th century and then modified and enlarged during the reign of King Gustav Vasa in the 1560s.

[10][11] Although a trade town, Örebro remained small until the second half of the 19th century, when it grew rapidly as a center of the national shoe-manufacturing industry.

[23] Gustavsvik, the largest water park in the Nordic countries, is located just a kilometer south of central Örebro.

Örebro is far more prone than coastal areas to really harsh frosts with temperatures approaching or below −20 °C (−4 °F) happening almost every winter according to SMHI statistics.

The station's setting in a rural location might skew temperatures somewhat compared to the urban area which is also at a slightly lower elevation and nearer Hjälmaren.

[31][32] Örebro is often without snow cover for large parts of the winter months when daytime temperatures hover just above freezing – an exceptional feature for an inland area north of the 59th latitude.

The westerly Atlantic moderating influence is strong enough that far inland Örebro has milder winters than the near-coastal town Norrtälje, located slightly farther north on the Baltic Sea with a similar rural weather station.

In spite of this summer is generally the time that gets the most precipitation[37] due to clashes between hot and cool continental air systems causing heavy thunderstorm rainfall.

[38] Being unshielded by the South Swedish highlands rain shadow, moist westerly air results in higher precipitation than on Baltic Sea locations.

Resulting from that, Örebro has been deemed one of the most vulnerable areas in Sweden to flooding and saw several incidents in a record wet summer in 2023.