Finland shatters July heat record
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) said the average temperature across all areas of Finland in July was 19.6 degrees Celsius. That broke the previous July heat record, some 0.4 degrees cooler, was recorded in 1941. FMI was founded in 1838.
There were a total of 27 “hot days” in July – when temperatures exceed 25 degrees – which is a relatively high number, but that did not break the all-time record of 30 hot days in July 2010.
The single location with the most “hot” days – was a total of 22 – was Kauhava, southern Ostrobothnia.
It was also warmer in southern and eastern Finland in July 2010, than this year according to FMI.
Arctic heat
Record-high temperatures last month were recorded in many areas across the country. For example, in Tähtelä, Sodankylä – in Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle – July’s average temperature was 20.1 degrees. That average was the highest on record since the Tähtelä weather station was installed 111 years ago.
The last time it was nearly as hot in Tähtelä was in 1925, when the average temperature was 18.5 degrees Celsius.
Overall, the average temperature in Lapland was around five degrees higher than normal and between 2.5-4 degrees higher than usual elsewhere in Finland during July.
Finland’s hottest and coolest
The highest recorded temperature last month was measured in Vaasa on the west coast, at a sweltering 33.7 degrees.
The coolest measurement taken last month was 1.7 degrees on 1 July in Salla, Lapland.
July was also drier than usual, conditions which increased the likelihood of brush and forest fires in many areas this year.
However, in southern and eastern Finland there was a bit more rain than normal, FMI reports.
Perhaps the most noticeable weather feature of July 2018 was the virtually-omnipresent sun, which on average shone more than usual across the entire country. It was particularly sunny in northern Finland, according to FMI.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Warming Arctic could be at heart of deadly July heatwave, CBC News
Finland: Calls to save water heard as Finland’s underground reserves drop, Yle News
Norway: European Arctic swelters under tropical temperatures, breaks heat records, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Forest fires are raging across the Barents region, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Lasting drought behind Sweden’s worst projected harvest in 25 years, Radio Sweden
United States: Alaska’s firefighters are ready for wildfire season, Alaska Public Media
