Temperatures drop below freezing in Lapland as cold snap grips Finland

Lapland recorded sub-zero temperatures this week, while the rest of Finland braces for a weekend warm-up.

Yle reports that despite the recent cold snap, the summer so far has been slightly warmer than average.

Unseasonably low temperatures were recorded in multiple regions on different days. Monday night saw frost in Lapland, with Salla dipping to minus 2°C. Tuesday’s high in Lappeenranta reached just 12.2°C, ten degrees below the seasonal median of 22.2°C.

Vantaa’s airport managed only 13.9°C on Tuesday, while Ylivieska fell to 0.1°C overnight Tuesday and 0.3°C Wednesday night. Savonlinna recorded a daytime high of 13.1°C on Wednesday, and Juuka’s Niemelä saw a peak of 11.9°C against a typical median of 21.6°C.

Yle meteorologist Elias Paakkanen said the week’s chill was exceptional but not representative of the season as a whole.

Temperatures are forecast to rise above 20°C by the weekend.