Finland's 2007 was unusually mild and rainy

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The winter, spring, and autumn of the current year were unusually warm, while the Finnish summer of 2007 will best be remembered for its frequent rains.
      Last winter Finland enjoyed exceptionally large amounts of snow, while even the southernmost parts of the country witnessed occasional drifts. In the provinces of Oulu and Lapland, precipitation in the form of snow was about 1.5 times the normal amount.
      The plentiful snowfalls were followed by an early and warm spring. In most parts of the country the spring months were among the five warmest ones since the beginning of the 20th century. In some locations the first hot days (maximum temperatures over 25°C) were experienced in early May.
     
The summer arrived early, but it was rainy with it.
      While thunderstorms were less frequent in general, the heavy thunderstorm raging in Southern Finland on August 21st caused a public warning. The strong winds interfered with power lines, hampered traffic, and silenced radio broadcasts.
      Even though the early summer was not particularly hot, August was one of the warmest months ever. The highest temperature of the summer, 30.7°C, was recorded in Parikkala on August 14th. Thanks to the hot August, the average temperature of the summer months as a whole was unusually high.
      However, the hot spells of August were followed by exceptionally cold temperatures in Northern Finland at the end of the month, when the temperature dropped below 0°C at night and the prodigiously early first snow fell in Enontekiö’s Kelottijärvi in Northern Lapland. Previously, the first snow fell in August back in 1986.
     
Even the autumn was warmer than average. The amount of rainfall was around average, but in September the precipitation was more than 60 millimetres in a single day in some locations. Such heavy rains are normally experienced only once in 20 years.
      The first snow fell across the country at the beginning of November. The beginning of thermal winter (when the daily mean temperature stays permanently below 0°C) was experienced in Lapland two weeks later than usual, while in other parts of the country it occurred at the same time as normal.
      This year the Finnish Meteorological Institute started to issue long-range forecasts, publishing for example its first monthly predictions of the coming weather. According to the Institute, the current winter is also predicted to be a mild one.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Little hope for white Christmas again in Southern Finland (20.12.2007)

Links:
  Finnish Meteorological Institute

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