Car driving on a snowy road. Photo: Aku Häyrynen / Str / Lehtikuva
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Heavy snowfall and rapidly changing temperatures are forecast to affect large parts of Finland through the weekend, bringing slippery roads, poor visibility, and dangerous driving conditions across the south and centre of the country.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued multiple warnings as a low-pressure system moves in from the west, carrying snow, sleet and rain. In western areas, the first snow showers arrived as early as Wednesday. By Thursday and Friday, snow had spread widely across southern and central Finland.
Accumulations of 3 to 8 centimetres are expected in most southern and central regions. In parts of western Finland, local totals may reach 10 to 20 centimetres. Along the southern coast, warmer air from the Gulf of Finland means most of the precipitation will fall as rain.
Further inland, temperatures drop below zero within a few dozen kilometres of the coast, causing rain to turn into snow. Wet road surfaces are expected to freeze rapidly. “People should not be on the roads with summer tyres when surfaces are freezing,” said duty meteorologist Jani Parviainen.
Road conditions have already begun to deteriorate due to snow and freezing rain. On Friday, scattered snow showers were reported in southern and eastern central Finland, with up to 10 centimetres of snow measured in parts of southern Lapland. As night temperatures drop, even areas without snow are seeing wet roads freeze, increasing the risk of skidding.
Overnight temperatures have been unusually cold in clear regions, reaching as low as -15°C. In Lapland, the season’s coldest temperature so far, -30.5°C, was recorded at Kittilä’s Lompolonvuoma station early Friday morning. Other locations across Lapland reported overnight lows between -20°C and -30°C.
On Saturday, temperatures will vary sharply across the country. A storm of snow, sleet and rain is expected to reach central Finland and parts of southern Lapland. Milder air from the west will push temperatures in southern and central Finland above freezing on Saturday. Wind gusts will intensify, particularly in coastal areas, with storm-force gusts expected over parts of the open sea.
By Sunday, the weather will remain unsettled. Most of the country will be under cloud cover, with intermittent precipitation continuing. Rain is expected to dominate in southern and central regions, while sleet and snow remain likely further north. In Lapland, conditions will remain dry but bitterly cold, with some areas forecast to remain below -20°C.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute warned that driving conditions will be poor in most of the country throughout the weekend.
Looking into next week, forecasts suggest that daytime temperatures will remain below freezing early in the week in southern Finland, but later rise above zero across the south and centre. There is little indication of new heavy snowfall reaching southern Finland next week.
HT
- Next Article Helsinki records first snowfall of the season
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
