Traffic weather warnings hit Utsjoki and Inari in Arctic Finland

Slushy conditions have hit Finland’s far north, putting traffic weather warnings into effect in Utsjoki and Inari.

Temperatures are set to drop across Finland, with a shift towards colder weather at the beginning of the week.

Saturday night saw freezing temperatures nationwide, with Western Lapland recording lows of –7.6 degrees Celsius and Kauhajoki Airport reporting –2.9 degrees at 8 am on Sunday morning, according to meteorologist Petteri Pyykkö from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

Sunday’s daytime temperatures range between nine degrees and 12 degrees in southern and central Finland, while northern regions will see temperatures between three and seven degrees.

The day is expected to be mostly clear, though occasional rain showers may appear across the country.

Snow has already fallen in parts of northern Finland, with Foreca reporting nine centimetres of snow in Inari on Sunday morning.

Traffic weather warnings are in effect until Sunday afternoon for Utsjoki and Inari due to sleet.

Pyykkö forecasts that the cold snap will continue into next week. Monday will be largely sunny and dry across Finland, with southern regions seeing temperatures near 10 degrees, while the north remains cooler. Snowfall is expected on Tuesday in Lapland’s northwestern reach.

“There’s a cold air mass settling over northern Finland, particularly Lapland,” Pyykkö explained.

Freezing temperatures may also reach southern Finland overnight from Monday to Tuesday, according to the FMI.

Related stories from around the North: 

Finland: Finnish Lapland sees season’s first snow cover, Yle News

Norway: Polar heat record. July average above 10°C, The Independent Barents Observer