Cold descending on Finland

Record-low temperatures for November expected

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Low temperature records for November could be broken in the coming days as very chilly air descends on the country. If forecasts by the Finnish Meteorological Institute pan out, temperatures will fall below a level that occurs about once in ten years in November.
      In central areas of Finland, the chill could reach levels that occur only a few times in a century.
      The last late November chills occurred in 2002 and 2004.
     
At the weekend temperatures in Southern and central parts of Finland are falling to between -10 and -20 degrees Celsius. In the early part of next week, central areas could get temperatures below -20°C.
      Strong winds are expected to add to the bitterness of the cold.
     
Temperatures in northernmost Finnish Lapland fell to minus 27.8°C on Wednesday morning.
      Ice as thick as 15 centimetres has formed in the archipelago areas in the northern reaches of the Baltic Sea. Shallow bays in the south could also get a thin ice cover soon.
     
Wednesday’s snowfall was heaviest along the south coast and in the Helsinki region, where about ten centimetres came down. The highest snow banks in the south of Finland were about 20 centimetres high.
      Northernmost Finnish Lapland had the highest levels of snow on Wednesday, with depths of more than 30 centimetres.
     
The heavy snowfall was reflected in increased demand for snow shovels, which were sold out at the Prisma chain of department stores already last week. Other snow removal equipment has also been selling well, and sleds and skis are in high demand.
     
Delays attributed to the severe weather occurred on long-distance trains on Wednesday.
      There were also delays in local rail services in the Helsinki region on Wednesday morning, but they were attributed to a technical problem that was not related to the snow.
      Driving conditions have been poor, with many cars sliding off roads in the south of the country. Lorries sliding off the road and falling over caused traffic backups on highways two and three.
      The most serious traffic accident occurred in Helsinki, where an elderly man died when a car that he was driving collided with another vehicle and then crashed into a lamp post.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  First snow attracts people take out their cross-country skis (19.11.2010)

Links:
  Finnish Meteorological Institute

Helsingin Sanomat