Snow and sleet make driving hazardous across Finland

Snow and sleet are making driving conditions poor across much of Finland, Yle reports. Some parts of the country could receive up to 15 centimetres of snow on Friday.

A broad area of rain and snow has spread across Finland, with snowfall already under way in the central parts of the country. Snow has fallen north of Kokkola, while southern areas have had rain and sleet.

Driving conditions are particularly poor in North Savo, North Karelia, Kainuu and western parts of North Ostrobothnia. The precipitation is expected to spread farther north during the afternoon and turn increasingly to snow by evening.

Southern Finland may also see sleet or snow on Friday, but the freezing boundary is around the latitude of Kajaani, so winter weather has not yet set in across the south.

In Savukoski, Lapland, temperatures fell to 23 degrees below zero overnight into Friday, setting a new autumn cold record.