Wind and snow threaten to hamper Christmas traffic in Finland

According to the weather forecast by the Finnish Meteorological Institute on Tuesday, Wednesday is expected to be windy all over the country. The storm centre will bring precipitation which will fall as sleet and snow first in Western Finland and later even in other parts of the country.
     
Extremely bad road conditions are predicted for Wednesday, hindering those heading off early to spend their Christmas vacation.
      Hence motorists leaving on Thursday should enjoy better conditions, and according to the Finnish Road Administration (FINNRA), the heaviest outgoing Christmas traffic is expected for Thursday.
      However, no bigger hold-ups are likely to occur as traffic volumes are only about half of those at Midsummer. Traffic jams may occur particularly on Highway 3 connecting Helsinki to Tampere, and on Highway 4 from Helsinki to Lahti and Heinola.
     
FINNRA promises  to take extra good care of the public roads to ensure smooth Christmas traffic, but motorists are advised to set aside 10 to 20 percent more time for their journeys than in summer.
      The outgoing traffic will be at its heaviest on Thursday between 12:00 and 18:00. Hence it would be wiser for motorists to set off later unless they wish to spend at least some of the journey in traffic jams.
     
A Finnish expert organization in traffic safety, Liikenneturva, is advising motorists to drive in daylight if possible, and to obey traffic rules, including those related to the use of indicators and the speed limits. Moreover, it is advisable to check the lights, windscreen wipers, and other appliances of the car carefully before setting off.
     
Bus companies have scheduled additional departures as well as extra buses for the most popular departures. However, it is recommended that passengers pick up the bus tickets in advance.
     
Since last Saturday, VR, the Finnish rail company, has scheduled additional trains on the route from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and Kolari in both directions.
      There will be about 5,700 extra beds in car-sleeper trains on Christmas week.
      While all car-sleeper trains to Oulu are already sold out, some tickets to car-carrier wagons to Kolari and Rovaniemi are still available. Even some tickets to sleeping compartments and day coaches heading for the north are available.
     
Finnair has scheduled three additional flights to Lapland and two back. Thursday will be the busiest day for outgoing Christmas traffic also at the airport.
     
     
Weather update: Heavy storm approaching
     
Finland is in the path of a major storm centre, expected to sweep across the country in the course of Wednesday evening. The Finnish Meterological Institute has characterised the coming storm as the worst of the year to date.
      In Western sea-areas the average wind speeds could reach 27 metres a second (52 knots, or 97 km/h), and storm force winds are expected in all other sea-areas.
      On land, too, the southerly gales are expected to reach dangerous proportions and  snow and sleet will seriously affect driving conditions.
     
The FMI predicts that the wind will freshen gradually towards evening, and will peak late tonight and in the early hours of Thursday morning.  It should arrive in eastern districts early on Thursday morning. 
      On Thursday the weather should quieten down once more, but a second depression is gaining strength and will approach the west of the country towards evening.
          
     
     


Previously in HS International Edition:
  High hopes for white Christmas all over Finland (21.12.2004)

Links:
  Finnra's Traffic Information Centre
  Finnish Road Administration
  Liikenneturva
  VR Passenger service
  Finnair