A view in Mieraslompolo in Utsjoki, Finnish Lapland. The sun returns as the polar night ends in Utsjoki. LEHTIKUVA
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The sun will rise above Finland’s northernmost municipality of Utsjoki on Friday, marking the end of the polar night, a nearly two-month period of continuous darkness. This event, called Kaamos in Finnish, occurs above the Arctic Circle each winter.
In Utsjoki, the last sunset was on 24 November.
The return of daylight around noon on Friday will be brief, but it signals the gradual increase of light in the coming weeks. During Kaamos, indirect sunlight reflects off the atmosphere and snow, creating a dim, dusky glow.
Meanwhile, much of Finland is experiencing a winter that feels far from traditional. Southern and central parts of the country are facing unseasonably warm temperatures, with forecasts reaching up to 6 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Central Finland is seeing readings 10 degrees above average for January, a sharp deviation from the usual subzero norms.
Meteorologist Matti Huutonen of Yle attributed this warmth to a low-pressure system in the North Atlantic and a high-pressure front in Central Europe. Together, these conditions generate the föhn wind effect, which causes warm, dry winds to flow over Norway’s mountains and into Finland.
However, the warm spell is expected to end soon. Huutonen predicted a return to seasonably cold weather on Friday, with temperatures dropping below freezing nationwide. In southern Finland, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has warned of dangerously icy conditions as excess water on footpaths freezes overnight.
Despite this brief cool-down, long-term forecasts suggest warmer-than-usual conditions may persist. Meteorologist Hannu Valta noted that temperatures in southern Finland could remain mild for much of January, although colder days are still expected.
While the weather is currently inconsistent, Valta reminded residents that winter is far from over, with February still ahead as a traditional cold month. For now, Finland’s climate contrasts its northernmost sunlit horizons with milder-than-usual southern streets.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
