Wildfire warnings issued across northern Finland weeks earlier than usual

Wildfire warnings have been extended to the Kainuu region in northern Finland, marking an exceptionally early start to the fire season, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued advance warnings for wildfires across snow-free areas, with restrictions taking full effect from Monday. Open fires are now prohibited in southeastern Finland as of Saturday, with the ban expanding nationwide by Monday.

Kainuu’s rescue services report the situation is six weeks ahead of schedule, resembling conditions typically seen in late May. “We’re experiencing what normally happens at the end of May,” said Janne Tamio, duty fire chief for Kainuu Rescue Services. Multiple grass and brush fires have already occurred across Kainuu and North Ostrobothnia this week, including a Thursday blaze that burned a hectare of land and an old barn, injuring two people.

Meteorologist Eveliina Tuovinen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute confirmed that wildfire seasons have shifted earlier over the past decade. “In southern Finland, the season can now begin as early as March,” she said. Dry spring vegetation ignites easily, even if soil moisture remains high, with wind often spreading fires unexpectedly.

The current warning system, introduced a few years ago, consolidates previous separate grassfire and wildfire alerts into a single wildfire warning with color-coded risk levels (yellow to red). Regardless of the warning level, all open burning is prohibited when any alert is active.

Warnings are generated using a complex model factoring precipitation, evaporation, solar radiation, soil moisture, organic layer properties, and wind speed. Advance notices may be adjusted based on changing weather patterns, such as shifting rain areas.