Above-average temperatures expected across Finland to begin fall
Following a record-shattering summer, Finland seems set to enjoy a relatively warm start to the autumn. According to Yle meteorologist Toni Hellinen, daytime highs are currently warmer than normal for this time of year.
In central and northern parts of the country, temperatures will be as much as five degrees Celsius higher than usual over the next five days, he said. Meanwhile in the south, highs will be between three and four degrees above normal.
In southern Finland, daytime highs will hover around 20 degrees Celsius, compared to the 16 degrees usually recorded in early September.
Hellinen said that the unusually warm weather will likely extend through the first and possibly the second week of September.
“There is nothing to suggest that there will be a sudden cooling,” Hellinen said on Friday.
In northern Finland however, Hellinen said that daytime highs will become more typical of mid-September conditions.
The weatherman said that the long-term forecast suggests that the entire autumn will be warm. However he noted that long-term forecasts are filled with uncertainty.
Weekend showers in south, but sunny in north
On Saturday, cloudy skies and showers are likely in southern and central Finland as well as Kainuu in the east. However residents of Lapland and Oulu can expect sunny conditions.
Daytime highs in southern and central areas will be on either side of 20 degrees while they will range from the low teens to above 15 degrees in Lapland.
Conditions across the country will be sunnier on Sunday, although isolated showers will still be possible in eastern Finland and the Kainuu region.
“That’s where the trend will begin. The weather will become sunnier and warmer across the country,” Hellinen added.
As the first week of September begins, the forecast is for daytime temperatures above 20 degrees throughout, but they will not return to the blazing highs seen during July.
In eastern Finland for example, the maximum temperatures forecast will be around 23-24 degrees.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Global warming ‘pause’ about to end, raise Earth’s temperatures further, CBC News
Finland: Few complaints as heat decimates Finland’s mosquitoes, YLE News
Norway: Arctic Europe’s July records melted under extreme temperatures, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russian and American scientists team up to study Arctic Russia’s weakening sea ice, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Hot, arid summer guts a third of Sweden’s cereal harvest, Radio Sweden
United States: Rapid Arctic warming is increasing the frequency of blizzards in U.S. Northeast: study, Radio Canada International
