Sunny periods and frost-damaged roads promised for Easter weekend

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The weather forecast promises a somewhat wintry Easter for the most of Finland. Authorities recommend that citizens reserve extra time and patience for the outbound traffic on Thursday and Friday, as well as for the return journey on Monday.
      "Water from the melting banks of snow by the sides of the road can still freeze during the night, causing treacherous road conditions", warns service manager Jorma Helin from the Finnish Road Administration.
      Helin also advises the public not to be too hasty over switching to summer tyres. "The use of the specialised - preferably studded - winter tyres is still recommended", Helin points out.
     
The fact that both the outgoing and return Easter traffic will be divided on two days will make life a little easier. The outbound traffic is expected to be at its busiest on Thursday between 14:00 and 19:00 and on Good Friday between 9:00 and 13:00.
      While many people will return from their Easter breaks already on Sunday evening, the return traffic peak is anticipated for Monday between 13:00 and 20:00.
      According to the provisional forecast by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the Thursday weather will be fairly sunny with a temperature of around +5°C right across Finland.
      Good Friday, in turn, may see some scattered showers moving northwards in the eastern parts of the country. In these areas the road surfaces may turn slippery.
      Sunday's return traffic may be complicated to a certain degree by isolated showers, but on Monday the weather looks to turn sunny again.
     
The outgoing traffic from the capital area will primarily take place northbound on highways three and four.
      Traffic on Highway 3 towards Tampere and Highway 4 towards Heinola is expected to flow smoothly. Some congestion, however, may take place on the western bypass in the Tampere region, because of the ongoing road works there.
      Some jams may also occur on the main road 51 from Espoo to Kirkkonummi during the peak hours.
     
In Lapland the lower winter speed-limit signs will be removed during the course of Wednesday and Thursday. "In the southern parts of the province even smaller roads are now free from snow, while the snow and ice are also gradually melting even north of Rovaniemi", says director Tapani Pöyry from the Lapland Road District.
      "The use of studded tyres makes still sense", Pöyry adds.
     
On trains and buses there are still seats available. However, the sleeping cars for example in trains from Helsinki to Kolari in Lapland are already fully booked by ski enthusiasts.
      "From Helsinki to Rovaniemi, one might still find a sleeper for Friday", report the Finnish Railways (VR). In day coaches there are still seats available.
      Bus & coach companies in turn note that where necessary additional departures will be added to meet the demand.
      While booking a Finnair flight to Lapland for Thursday or Friday is still possible, the chance of finding a return flight for Monday or Tuesday is a different matter. For Sunday, though, there are still some return seats available.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Summer speed limits restored in parts of Finland (11.4.2006)
  Summer speed limits to be raised just in time for Easter (6.4.2004)
  Easter traffic jams expected for Monday; summer-like weather predicted (16.4.2003)

Links:
  Finnra - Finnish Road Administration (real-time traffic news)
  Finnish Meteorological Institute

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