Unusually high May temperatures in Finland
Finland posted unusually warm temperatures in May, despite a colder-than-typical middle of the month.
“The month was about 1.8 degrees warmer than it would have been without the impact of climate change,” the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) said in a statement.
” The probability of such a warm May in the current climate is ten times higher than without climate change.”
May’s average temperature varied between 5 C in the North part of Lapland, to approximately 14 C in the country’s South.
In all, the FMI said the last time the country had so many parts of the country experiencing warmer-than-typical May periods was in 2018.
May set a new record with 16 hot days, surpassing the previous record of 14 hot days six years ago.
- West: 3-4 C higher than usual
- East: 1-3 degrees higher than usual
- North: 1-3 degrees higher than usual
The country’s highest temperature of 29.9 C was recorded at the Hattula Lepaa observation station in southern Finland.
Lapland posted the country’s coldest temperature of -34.3 C on April 3 at the Tulppio observation station in Savukoski in eastern Lapland.
Surprisingly dry
May was not only warmer than usual but also exceptionally dry.
Although end-of-month thunderstorms brought precipitation close to normal levels, most regions of the country were marked by low rainfall was recorded earlier in the month.
“New station-specific, low precipitation records for May were recorded nearly everywhere in the country,” the FMI said.
Spring temperatures soared, while rainfall keeps cool average
Looking at spring temperatures from March to May, the FMI data found the average temperature across the country was 1C higher than typical.
The average temperature in the northwestern Lapland was -3C and 6 C in the South.
“The last time the southern and central areas were as warm in May as they were this year was in 2016,” the FMI said.
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Be wary of thin ice amid mild weather conditions, says hunter in Fort Smith, N.W.T., CBC News
Finland: Military exercise apparently disrupts weather images from Lapland, Yle News
United States: Arctic weather satellite leaving Europe for June launch in U.S., Eye on the Arctic
