Meteorological Institute predicts freeze will continue until Christmas

After a long, dark, and relatively mild autumn in the south of the country, winter conditions have arrived with a bang. Snow fell at the weekend, and the sharp frosts did not end on Monday: the Finnish Meteorological Institute forecasts that the period of chilly and predominantly clear weather will continue until Christmas.
     
The weather will actually turn even colder in the next few days. In Southern Finland, the freeze may get quite respectable by southern standards, with nighttime temperatures down as low as -25°C.
      In the north the temperatures will approach a low of -30°C. On Monday, schoolchildren were allowed to stay indoors during their breaks in the village of Torvinen in Sodankylä since the line of mercury was sufficiently hard to see in the thermomenter.
      The record for the current winter season was set in Kittilä on Monday, when the temperature dropped to nearly -30°C.
      In the Greater Helsinki area, predictions are that the temperature could go down to -20°C at the lowest.
      In southern and central parts of the country, the thickness of the snow cover is from one to five centimetres. When questioned whether or not Finland will experience a white Christmas this year, meteorologist Inna Haapa was unwilling to give a definitive answer quite yet.
      ”When it comes to snowfall, I dare not say anything”, Haapa noted.
     
The current freeze, which has lasted for several days, is beginning to show signs that the season of downhill skiing will be starting in the near future.
      Only five out of the 26 ski resorts in Southern Finland have been able to open even some of their slopes, but snow cannons are now working at full blast day and night.
      ”All we need is three frosty days and all slopes in the south are open”, reports Sari Tollet, the managing director of the Finnish Ski Area Association.
     
The opening of ski-tracks for the Mordic skiing fraternity takes longer, which is why hardly any tracks have been groomed in the woods in Southern and Central Finland.
      The first cross-country tracks are just being prepared in Helsinki’s Paloheinä. Outdoor Recreation Manager Petri Angelvuo from Helsinki’s Outdoor Sports Facilities Division reports that the first 1.8 kilometre track will be opened later this week.
      On Monday, the freezing cold temperatures disrupted train traffic, while the road weather conditions were fairly good, according to the Finnish Road Administration.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Eastern Lapland receives autumn´s first snowfall (29.9.2009)
  Hard frosts disrupt train traffic (8.2.2007)
  Kuusamo is most southerly Finnish location with snow on the ground (21.10.2008)
  Nearly 700 kilometres of ski-tracks in Greater Helsinki area (3.1.2006)

See also:
  Local weather including forecasts for 18,000 localities (in Finnish)

Links:
  Finnish Road Asministration
  Finnish Ski Area Association
  Finnish Meteorological Institute