Saturday to bring near-heat sunshine across Finland, Sunday to cool with rain

Saturday is expected to be the warmest day of the weekend in Finland, with clear and dry weather across most of the country and temperatures that could approach the official heat threshold of 25 degrees Celsius in the south, Yle reported.

According to Yle meteorologist Henriikka Heikinoja, Friday will see rain spreading from the southeast to central parts of the country, with the heaviest showers in North Savo and North Karelia, where several tens of millimetres of rain may fall and thunderstorms are possible. Elsewhere, only isolated showers are expected. Friday temperatures will generally be just below 20 degrees, with the warmest readings in southern and central Lapland.

On Saturday, the best outdoor weather of the weekend is forecast. Southern and central Finland will be dry and sunny, while Lapland may see scattered showers and thunderstorms, and clouds may linger near the eastern border. The west will be the sunniest. Temperatures will widely reach 20 degrees Celsius as far north as central Lapland, and in the south the heat threshold may be approached.

A new low-pressure system from the west will bring rain to nearly all of Finland on Sunday, providing some relief from the prolonged dry spell, with local rainfall amounts of around 10 to 20 millimetres. By afternoon, the weather will gradually dry up starting from the southeast.

Surface water temperatures in lakes across the country are warmer than usual for this time of year, according to the report.