Study finds temperatures above 40 degrees possible in Finland

Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius are possible in Finland, although the probability remains low, Yle reports, citing a study by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The chance of 40-degree temperatures in Finland, Sweden and Norway was 0.53 percent last year, more than six times higher than in 1981 because of climate warming.

Finnish Meteorological Institute researcher Mika Rantanen said the most extreme heat occurs when several rare conditions coincide, including an exceptionally strong blocking high-pressure system and severely dry soil.

Temperatures above 40 degrees were recorded in Britain, Germany and Poland last summer. Finland has never reached that mark. Its temperature record is 37.2 degrees, measured in 2010.

The study says Nordic countries should prepare for considerably hotter weather.