Finland could see record May Day temperatures of 20°C, last recorded in 2001

Meteorologists at Finnish broadcaster Yle predict May Day (Vappu) temperatures could reach 20°C in southern Finland—an event that has occurred only once this century.

According to Yle meteorologist Aleksi Lohtander, Finland has not recorded a May Day heatwave (temperatures above 25°C) in modern history. The warmest May Day on record was in 1998 at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, where temperatures hit 23.5°C.

While rain on May Day is rare, snow has been common. Helsinki saw 27 centimetres of snow in 1941, and the coldest May Day was in Salla in 1981, with temperatures dropping to –23.1°C.