Summer 2023 warmer than usual in Finnish Lapland
Finnish Lapland had a warmer summer than usual in 2023 with record warmth in some places in August.
“In large parts of the country, the average temperature for the summer, or June–August, was 0.5 to 1 degrees Celsius higher than usual,” the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) said in a statement this month.
“In Northern Lapland, the deviation from the average was more than one degree.”
August stands out
August was a particular outlier in that above-average temperatures were recorded nationwide.
In northernmost parts of Lapland, the temperatures averaged 13 C. In the southern part of the country, the average was 18 degrees.
- average temperature for June–August was more than 1 C higher than usual in Northern Lapland
- June cold record of -7.7 C recorded in Saana Fell
- precipitation 1.5 to 2 times more than usual in August
- lowest August temperature of -2.3 C was recorded in Lapland in Savukoski
Source: Finnish Meteorological Institute
“The greatest deviation was observed in Lapland, approximately two degrees,” the FMI said.
“At several northern observation stations, the month is one of the warmest Augusts on record. At the observation stations of Kilpisjärvi Village Centre, Kevo Utsjoki and Savukoski Village, August was record warm.
Hot days above norm
The FMI defines hot days by when temperatures rise above 25 C. It said Lapland saw more such days the usual.
The highest count of hot days, which totaled five, was recorded at the Kouvola observation station in southeastern Finland as well as in three places in Lapland: Nuorgam, Utsjoki, and Kirakkajärvi in Inari.
The months highest temperature of 33.6 C was recorded in the South in Rauma.
The lowest temperature of -2.3 C was recorded in Lapland in Savukoski.
Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: ‘On the plus side’: Some communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories enjoy above-freezing weather, CBC News
Finland: Finland sees “exceptionally” mild January, Yle News
Greenland: Greenland’s temperatures warmest in last 1000 years, says study, Eye on the Arctic
Sweden: Temperature increase in Sweden twice as high as global average, weather service says, Radio Sweden
