People swimming on Saturday evening in Helsinki. Photo: Jussi Nukari / Str / Lehtikuva
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Finland’s prolonged heatwave ended on Sunday as temperatures began to drop across most parts of the country, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
The heat peaked over the weekend with temperatures surpassing 30°C for a record 22 consecutive days. By Sunday evening, however, readings fell below 30°C and are not expected to return to that level this week.
In the capital region, the heat streak concludes Monday evening, with temperatures falling below 25°C, said Jouko Korhonen from the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The shift marks the end of several days of exceptionally warm conditions in southern Finland.
Eastern Finland and Lapland are expected to remain warm until Tuesday. After that, cooler air will replace the hot mass currently affecting those regions. The heat is forecast to move east of the White Sea and towards the Arctic Ocean between Svalbard and Greenland.
By Wednesday, all parts of the country are expected to experience typical Finnish summer temperatures, ranging around 20°C. Daily highs are unlikely to reach 30°C again during the current week.
Western and southern regions face heavy showers and thunderstorms starting Monday afternoon. Rainfall will vary widely by location, ranging from a few millimetres to more than 20 millimetres per hour.
“Even the sky doesn’t seem to know where the rain will land,” said Korhonen. “With bad luck, water might run into someone’s garage.”
Night-time temperatures are forecast to fall to around 15°C, cooler than recent nights. From Tuesday to the weekend, southern and western areas will experience variable rain and wind. Cumulative rainfall totals between Tuesday and Sunday are projected to reach 10 to 20 millimetres, though local variation could be significant.
Temperatures are expected to reach just over 20°C on Tuesday. From Wednesday onwards, lower temperatures are anticipated, and even that threshold may be hard to reach.
Korhonen described the coming conditions as resembling early autumn. He added that this type of weather is still summer, “and for many, the best kind”.
Eastern and northern Finland will follow the south’s cooling trend one day later. Widespread heat remains possible there on Tuesday, but by Wednesday those areas will also drop to around 20°C with shifting winds and rain showers.
In addition to lower temperatures, a low-pressure system is moving in during the week, contributing to the change. The system is advancing slowly across the country and is expected to dominate weather conditions through the weekend.
Warnings for strong thunderstorms and heavy rain were issued for Monday in western and southern Finland. In Kainuu and Pudasjärvi, a forest fire warning remains in effect due to recent dry conditions.
Despite the abrupt cooling, meteorologists are not ready to declare the end of summer’s heat entirely.
“I wouldn’t bet on it being final,” said Korhonen. “But for several days at least, the heat is gone.”
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
