Lapland faces rainy start but sunny weather later on in week
This week looks quite sunny though there will be rainy days, too, says Eerik Saarikalle, a meteorologist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
Monday should bring rain to nearly the whole country. Some parts of southern Finland will get brief showers while others may not receive rain at all. Rains are more likely in central and northern areas, he said.
On Monday, temperatures will be just over 20 degrees Celsius in southern Finland, dipping into the mid-to-upper teens in rainier and more northerly regions.
Tuesday should be dry with light winds. The mercury will rise to slightly above 20 degrees through nearly the entire country, remaining a little cooler in parts in Lapland.
Across most of southern, central and eastern Finland, daily highs should be over 20 degrees for at least the next 10 days, according to FMI forecasts.
HS: Warmth may last until mid-September
On Sunday, Foreca’s chief meteorologist Kristian Roine told the daily Helsingin Sanomat that warm weather can be expected even until mid-September.
He noted that there may be highs of 24 or even above 25 degrees this week.
The FMI says that the record number of days with readings over 25 somewhere in the country could be broken this year. So far, there have been 60 such so-called “hot” days this summer. The record is from 2002, when there were 65 days over 25.
In late August, temperatures look to be several degrees warmer than usual, said Roine, who predicts that late summer will be drier than usual in southern parts of the country, but slightly rainier in northern areas.
The FMI has issued warnings of thunderstorms across most of eastern and northern Finland on Monday, as well as wildfire alerts for the Åland islands and parts of Finnish Lapland, and a small-craft advisory of strong winds on western sea districts.
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
