Temperatures tumble in Finland – in Lapland, possibly as low as -40°C

By admin On Feb 4, 2025

A person cross-country skiing in the largely snowless Hakunila Sports Park in Vantaa, Southern Finland, on 31 January 2025. Temperatures across Finland fell noticeably between Monday and Tuesday, with meteorologists saying the record-low for the winter could be under threat in Lapland. The mercury, though, is forecast to climb back over the freezing point in some southern and southwestern areas by Thursday. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

TEMPERATURES across Finland took a noticeable tumble in the early hours of Tuesday.

Elias Paakkanen, a meteorologist at YLE, on Monday said the mercury could plunge as low as -40°C in Lapland, breaking the previous record low for the winter, -38.9°C, which was registered in Savukoski, Lapland, on 8 January.

The mercury is forecast to drop below -10°C in all parts of the country except regions along the southwestern coast, which should see temperatures ranging from -5°C to -10°C.

“Tomorrow is set to feel like winter. The temperatures can feel chilling especially in the south, where people have got used to relatively warm weather this winter,” Paakkanen said to the public broadcasting company on Monday.

“It may be the coldest night of the winter,” Jani Parviainen, a meteorologist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), stated to Helsingin Sanomat.

“The coldest moment will be short-lived,” he added.

In the early hours of Wednesday, a low-pressure system is forecast to dump as much as 15 centimetres of snow in parts of Lapland. Temperatures across the country will start rising, with the precipitation turning from snow to rain in southwestern parts of the country during the course of Wednesday.

“On Wednesday afternoon, temperatures along the eastern border will be about -10°C and temperatures on the southern and western coast will be above zero,” Paakkanen said to YLE.

Another set of showers is expected to spread across southern and central parts of the country later tomorrow, but the precipitation will subside by Thursday.

“Temperatures in most parts of the country will be a few degrees below zero, but on the southern and southwestern coast temperatures will be a few degrees over zero. Thursday is set to be a relatively clear day,” he commented.

Aleksi Teivainen – HT

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi