Current winter is warmest of all time in Finland

December to February was 1°C warmer than record winter of 1924-25

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It is now official: in most parts of Finland, the ongoing winter has been the warmest ever measured since the beginning of regularly recorded readings.
      According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the mean temperature from December through February was approximately 1°C higher than in the previous record mild winter of 1924-1925.
      When comparing the present winter with the average of the period from 1971 to 2000, the temperatures were as much as 4 to 6.5 degrees higher, depending on the area.
     
Typically the mean temperatures of the winter have been below zero in the entire country.
      This year the temperatures have been above zero along the south coast, in Southwestern Finland, and in some locations on the west coast.
      According to the Meteorological Institute, the record mild winter weather is a consequence of climate change and the consistent westerly and southwesterly air flows we have been experiencing.
      The air flows have in turn been affected by the higher than average surface water temperature in the Atlantic Ocean.
      According to some estimates, climate change is raising winter temperatures by more than 1°C. The winter in the Greater Helsinki area can nowadays be compared with Danish winters.
     
Over the period from December through February, the amount of precipitation has also been above average. Precipitation in Western Finland and the province of Oulu has been 1.5 times the average.
      However, the amount of snow has been well below average in Southern and Central Finland as well as in the Oulu region. Usually the number of days with a snow cover of at least one centimetre is more than 70 in Southern Finland.
      During this winter the number of such days has been only around 20, and snow -when it has come - has been of a very short-lived variety.
      The sun has also been in short supply: the number of sunny days has also been lower than average, particularly in Southern Finland.
     
Even if we have a sharp cold snap in March, it will not affect the figures for the winter, as for the purposes of the statistics, March is classified as a spring month.
      Equally, it is fairly unlikely we would see extreme low temperatures here in the south so late in the season, as the sun is already appreciably stronger than it was in January.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Ice-free coastal waters in February considered exceptional, even in Southern Finland (13.2.2008)
  Willow catkins already in bloom in Vantaa (14.1.2008)
  Mild winters significantly reduce heating costs (26.2.2008)
  Poll: Most Finns willing to bear costs of fighting climate change (22.2.2008)
  Climate change brings mild and rainy winter weather - and it is here to stay (18.2.2008)

Links:
  Finnish Meteorological Institute
  Ice in the Baltic Sea

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