Lapland’s summer feels cool despite above-average temperatures

Lapland’s summer has felt unusually cool this year, despite temperatures running 1–2°C above the long-term average, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

In Ylitornio, the mercury has hit 25°C or higher on only three days so far this summer. Last July, the same threshold was crossed 26 days in a row—the longest continuous heatwave recorded anywhere in Finland in 2025.

Meteorologist Antti Jylhä-Ollila said the perception of a cool summer likely stems from comparison with last year’s scorching July. This year, Lapland has seen 30 days with temperatures of at least 20°C, meaning roughly one in three days has been warm. The number of official heat days, however, has remained typical.

Lapland’s highest temperature this summer, 28.6°C, was recorded in Utsjoki on 5 June. Jylhä-Ollila said similar heat is unlikely to return, with temperatures expected to drop below 15°C as early as next week.

While central Europe has endured extreme heat, Jylhä-Ollila noted that such warmth rarely reaches northern Finland unless it arrives from the southeast or east, as it did last summer.