Weather expert: This summer is driest in Finland for a century

Officials warning of possible hosepipe bans if situation continues

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In southern and western parts of Finland, this has so far been the driest summer in a hundred years. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, this sort of dryness was last approached in 1955, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country.
      This summer has seen exceptionally low precipitation levels. So far, the average figure for the country as a whole is just 70 millimetres of rain. In 1955, the figure for June-August was 108 millimetres.
      Other particularly dry summers affected Finland in 1917, 1937, 1950, and 1969.
      In an average summer, the "missing" 38 millimetres of rain - and possibly more besides - would fall during the second half of August. "I find it unlikely that this will happen, however", argues special researcher Ari Venäläinen from the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
      The forecast for next week predicts unsettled weather, but mere scattered showers will do little to change the situation, Venäläinen says.
      Only exceptionally hard rains in the rest of August would change this year's precipitation statistics appreciably.
     
The dry summer has produced remarkably long spells of fair weather. For example, in Helsinki's Kaisaniemi, the rainfall has remained under the ten-millimetre fair weather mark for no less than 48 days. For Tvärminne in Hanko, the southernmost city of Finland, the corresponding figure is 55 days.
      This summer's predominant weather type has been a persistent high-pressure system just southwest of Finland. The low pressure systems have bypassed the country to the north, and as a result only small areas in Northern and Eastern Finland have received some rain. But even in these areas, precipitation has kept below the long-term average.
      In large areas of the country, the summer's rainfall has remained below half of what is normally expected.
     
The long spell of dry weather has given rise to an exceptionally large number of forest and brush fires. In Southern Karelia, by the end of June there had already been twice as many brush fires as there would be in an entire average summer.
      The groundwater levels have also dropped in many areas. In Inkoo in Western Uusimaa, the groundwater level is already a metre and a half below normal.
      "If the situation continues much longer, we may have to introduce coercive measures in order to regulate water consumption", officials warn. The residents have already been advised to avoid unnecessary water usage, such as washing cars and watering gardens with hosepipes.
      We have already seen a sharp reduction in the availability of wild berries, with blueberries small and shrivelled in the woods, and there are now warnings that this year's wild mushroom crop will be badly hit unless the skies open soon. Even if heavy rain comes, experts are at a loss to predict what might happen: they have no years like this to compare with.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Trees in forests withstand dry summer better than those in cities (8.8.2006)
  Drought prompts mysterious messages urging residents to water trees in Helsinki (3.8.2006)
  Dry spell threatens to raise price of agricultural products and electricity (3.8.2006)
  Lakes more than half meter lower than normal in unusually dry summer (2.8.2006)

Links:
  Finnish Meteorological Institute

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