Emergency bulletins and other official bulletins

The Finnish Meteorological Institute has the option of issuing emergency bulletins on dangerous weather events and other official bulletins on weather-related hazards. The Institute has never had to issue emergency bulletins. Other official bulletins have been issued on about ten occasions. They are in Finnish and Swedish.

An emergency bulletin is issued when there is imminent danger to human life

The Finnish Meteorological Institute has never needed to issue emergency bulletins. The right to issue them was granted in 2003. On some occasions before that, an emergency bulletin would have been warranted, for instance, during the storms Sanna on 10 August 1985 and Unto on 5 July 2002.

Other official bulletins are issued when there is a threat to human life

The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued other official bulletins on about ten occasions. In summer 2010, official bulletins were issued on several days and several times a day, because of the Veera, Lahja and Sylvi storms.

The police and rescue departments issue official bulletins more often than the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Some other authorities having the same right, for example the Finnish Transport Agency and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK).

Where to find the information?

Official bulletins are read on Radio Suomi and Radio Vega. They can also be seen on the teletext service of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE); emergency bulletins on page 122 and other official bulletins on page 866. In addition, an emergency bulletin is broadcast on all radio channels and is also shown on TV channels as text running at the top of the screen. Information is in Finnish and Swedish.