Extreme temperature variations seen in Finland with Enontekiö recording a 71.4-degree difference this year

This summer’s heat and this winter’s extreme cold have led to significant temperature variations across Finland, with some locations experiencing remarkable differences exceeding 70 degrees Celsius. The largest recorded temperature difference between the coldest day of winter and the warmest day of summer this year was at Enontekiö Airport, where the difference reached 71.4 degrees. Close behind is Savukoski Tulppio, with a notable 70.3-degree gap.

Interestingly, these significant temperature fluctuations are not exclusive to Lapland. Other areas have also witnessed considerable differences, such as Kuhmo (69.2 degrees), Juuka (68.9 degrees), and Sotkamo (68.6 degrees).

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, this year’s large temperature contrasts stem from a notably cold winter, which set new records in January. Such drastic differences typically occur in years when winter temperatures drop below -40 degrees Celsius. However, years with these kinds of temperature extremes have become rare.

Mika Rantanen from the institute noted that climate change is causing winter’s coldest temperatures to warm more rapidly than summer’s warmest. This trend suggests that differences exceeding 70 degrees may become increasingly uncommon in the future.

The coldest recorded temperature this year was -44.3 degrees Celsius at Enontekiö on January 5, while the warmest was 27.1 degrees on June 28. Generally, the lowest temperature variations are found in southern Finland; for example, Helsinki recorded a winter low of -21.2 degrees and a summer high of 26.6 degrees, resulting in a 47.8-degree difference.