Winter storm set to impact Southern Finland with heavy snowfall and strong winds

A significant winter storm is set to hit Finland next week, bringing heavy snow and strong gusts of wind to the southern and central regions around the middle of the week. The most intense snowfall is expected to affect the inland areas of Southern Finland, where accumulations could reach up to 30 centimeters between Wednesday and Thursday.

Meteorologist Elias Paakkanen notes that a substantial snow cover will blanket the entire country as the storm approaches. Following the recent weekend storm, temperatures are expected to drop significantly by Monday, with many areas across the country experiencing sub-zero temperatures. Only the southernmost parts are expected to remain slightly above freezing.

A band of snow will move from the west through central Finland towards the east on Sunday evening into Monday, leading to poor driving conditions on Monday, particularly in central regions due to the snowfall.

As the week progresses, Tuesday will see further declines in temperature, with several areas experiencing slight snow showers in central and eastern parts of the country. Warnings have been issued for poor driving conditions in the northernmost Lapland region.

The approaching storm from the south is expected to reach southern Finland by Wednesday afternoon, sweeping northward. Significant snowfall accumulations particularly in inland areas of Southern Finland are anticipated to severely worsen road conditions starting Wednesday.

As Thursday arrives, warnings will become widespread across most of the country, indicating extremely poor driving conditions. Additionally, easterly winds are expected to strengthen to storm levels, with individual gusts potentially exceeding 20 meters per second.