According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s statistics, the average temperature in August varied between 11 and 17 °C at most observation stations in Finland. August’s average temperature was close to normal.

In August, there were three hot days when temperatures exceeded 25 °C, which is six days less than average. The number of hot days per observation station was 0 to 4 lower than usual.

The highest temperature in August, 26.6 °C, was recorded at Turku Airport and Kärkkä observation station in Salo on 15 August. The lowest temperature, -6.6 °C, was recorded at the Tulppio observation station in Savukoski, on 28 August.

Heavy rainfall in the northern part of the country in August

August was rainier than usual in the area extending from the central parts of the country to Southern and Western Lapland, and even exceptionally rainy in North Ostrobothnia and southwestern Lapland. In the southern and western parts of the country and in Eastern Lapland, on the other hand, there was less precipitation than usual in many places.

According to preliminary results, the Kaakkuri observation station in Tornio received the highest amount of rainfall per month, 189.2 mm. The lowest amount of precipitation, 11.9 mm., was recorded at the Itätulli observation station in Uusikaupunki. The highest 24-hour rainfall, 107.7 mm, was recorded at the Pelmaa observation station in Seinäjoki on 16 August.

In August, the number of thunderstorms was lower than usual. Approximately 8,400 cloud-to-ground lightning discharges were observed in Finland, while the average is 21,000.

In August, there were 120‒260 hours of sunshine. The number of sunshine hours was fairly normal in the southern and central parts of the country, but smaller than usual in the north.

The summer’s average temperature was close to normal

The entire summer, i.e. June-August, was widely 0 to 1 °C warmer than usual in Finland, i.e. fairly close to normal. The average summer temperature for the whole of Finland was 14.7 °C.

This summer’s highest temperature was 31.1 °C, which was recorded at the Pyhtää airport on 12 July. The lowest temperature, -6.6 °C, was measured at Tulppio in Savukoski, on 15 August.

From May to August, there were 35 hot days, i.e., days with temperatures exceeding 25 °C, in some parts of Finland, while the long-term average for the period is 36 days. However, the number of hot days was 2–8 days lower than usual per observation station.

In the southern and central parts of the country, 2–10 summer days more, i.e. days when the temperatures rise to more than 20 °C, were measured, while in the north, the number of summer days was 2–8 days lower than average.

Strong regional variation in summer precipitation, fewer lightning discharges than usual

The early summer in Finland was warm. However, in July, cooler air occasionally flowed into the country, turning the weather more unstable. Heavy rainfall per hour and per day occurred in places.

June–August was rainier than usual in a large part of the country, and in the northern part of the country in particular, the summer was unusually rainy in some places. However, there were also areas in the southern and central parts of the country where the summer rainfall was lower than usual.

According to preliminary data, the highest amount of precipitation was recorded in Sarakylä, Pudasjärvi, totalling 373.7 mm. The least amount of precipitation in the summer was 135.1 mm recorded at the Isokari weather station in Kustavi.

In the summer, there were less thunderstorms than usual. By the end of August, approximately 29,000 cloud-to-ground lightning discharges were observed, while the average for a normal period is about 81,000 cloud-to-ground lightning discharges. There were only a few individual days with heavy lightning discharges: the highest number of cloud-to-ground lightning discharges, approximately 5,600, was recorded on 16 August.

The amount of sunshine was lower than usual throughout the country: the total number of sunshine hours was approximately 510–850 hours.

Further information:

Climate Statistics

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.06/min + local network fee)

While satellites have monitored the extent and greenness of vegetation for decades, FLEX will provide information more directly related to how plants are functioning. Its FLORIS instrument will measure vegetation fluorescence in much greater detail, complemented by observations from the Sentinel-3 satellite which will fly in tandem with FLEX.

Finnish Meteorological Institute helps separate the vegetation signal from the atmospheric contribution

Measuring plant fluorescence from space is challenging because the weak signal from plants is hidden within the Earth’s atmospheric contribution. Earth’s atmosphere changes, and so does the light we observe from the satellite.

“It's a bit like trying to spot a distant candle in daylight: the plant signal is very faint compared to all the sunlight. Our task is to characterize these atmospheric effects accurately so that reliable information about vegetation and photosynthetic activity can be derived from the observations,” says Neus Sabater, Senior Scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Over several years of ESA project work, the Finnish Meteorological Institute has developed methods for characterizing atmospheric effects and separating them from the signal originating at the Earth’s surface. This atmospheric correction is essential for deriving accurate estimates of vegetation fluorescence and photosynthetic activity from FLEX observations.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute will also contribute to validating FLEX observations once the satellite becomes operational. The Sodankylä Supersite in northern Finland, jointly developed by ESA and the Finnish Meteorological Institute for satellite calibration and validation, will provide independent ground-based reference measurements.

New information on vegetation and the carbon cycle

More accurate observations of photosynthetic activity can improve understanding of how vegetation responds to drought, heat and other environmental stresses. The observations are relevant to research on climate change, the carbon cycle, ecosystem health and food production.

FLEX can also improve understanding of how much carbon terrestrial ecosystems take up from the atmosphere and support the development and evaluation of climate and carbon-cycle models. This can help scientists understand both how vegetation responds to a changing climate and how it influences the climate through the carbon cycle.

Further information

Senior Scientist Neus Sabater, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. +358 46 922 5120, neus.sabater@fmi.fi

Senior Scientist Pekka Kolmonen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. +358 50 380 3244, pekka.kolmonen@fmi.fi 

Senior Scientist Timo Virtanen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. +358 50 421 2360, timo.h.virtanen@fmi.fi 

• ESA FLEX mission

• ESA’s photosynthesis mission

• Sodankylä Supersite

The highest temperature in July was 31.1 degrees, which was recorded at Pyhtää airport on 12 July. The lowest temperature for the month, -2.0 degrees, was recorded at the Tulppio observation station in Savukoski on 20 July.

There were 15 hot days in July, one day fewer than the average number of hot days recorded during the statistical reference period 1991–2020.

July's precipitation levels exceptionally high in some places in the west

July was rainy particularly in the western part of the country, even unusually or exceptionally rainy in some places. In the eastern and northern parts of the country, monthly precipitation was mostly close to the long-term average or slightly below it.

The greatest amount of monthly precipitation was observed at the Karhila observation station in Multia, where 219.9 mm was recorded. The lowest amount of precipitation, 33.7 mm, was recorded at the Huhtilampi observation station in Joensuu.

On the 18 of July, a precipitation area moved from the southwest across Finland to the northeast, with the 24-hour accumulations at observation stations being exceptionally high, even record-breaking in some places. The greatest amount of rainfall in a single day was 114.2 millimetres, which was recorded at the Karhila observation station in Multia.

Less sunshine and fewer lightning strikes than usual

The entire country saw a lower number of sunshine hours than usual, even unusually low numbers were recorded in the south. Depending on the observation station, the number of sunshine hours was approximately 160–300 in July.

Approximately 11,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were observed in July, which was significantly below the average of 36,600 cloud-to-ground strikes for the period 2002–2025.

Further information:

Climate Statistics

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.06/min + local network fee)

There were 13 hot days in June which is more than average. On average, Finland experiences eight hot days somewhere in the country during June.

The highest temperature of the month, 29.5 degrees, was recorded at the Salo Kärkkä observation station on 29 June, and the lowest temperature, -2.5 degrees, was recorded in Lompolonvuoma, Kittilä, on 2 June.

Unusually rainy across much of Lapland

Monthly precipitation levels were largely close to normal. Whereas, in Lapland, it was unusually rainy in many places, and even exceptionally rainy at a couple of observation stations.

The location with the greatest amount of precipitation was Raistakka in Posio, which saw 135.3 millimetres of rain. The lowest amount of precipitation, 27.5 mm, was recorded at the Keskikylä observation station in Hailuoto. The greatest amount of precipitation in a single day was 55.1 millimetres measured at Kemie, Tohmajärvi, on 17 June.

In June, most of the country saw less sunshine than usual, generally around 200–270 hours.

Approximately 6,400 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were observed, which is well below the average. The average number of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in June, for the 2002–2025 period, is approximately 17,600.

Further information:

Climate Statistics

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.06/min + local network fee)

The observations aim to improve the ability to monitor and forecast how radio and radar signals propagate through the atmosphere. The results can be applied across a wide range of frequencies in both civilian and defence applications that rely on the electromagnetic spectrum, including the use and countermeasures against unmanned aerial and surface systems.

The month-long campaign built on the comprehensive observations collected at the Finnish Meteorological Institute's Utö Atmospheric and Marine Research Station. These observations were complemented by measurements from autonomous platforms, drones, radiosondes, research vessels, radars and satellites, as well as by oceanic, atmospheric and near-Earth space models.

"The campaign was very successful. Almost all of the planned measurements were successfully completed, and the resulting data will help improve electromagnetic signal propagation models and increase the accuracy of signal propagation forecasts over sea areas," says Lauri Laakso, Principal Scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, who led the measurement campaign.

FESPAN (Forecasting Electromagnetic Signal Propagation Anomalies) is a Finnish-led project coordinated by VTT. Its objective is to improve knowledge of the operating environment of the electromagnetic spectrum for defence applications. The project is funded by the European Defence Fund with a total budget of approximately EUR 22 million. Within the project, the Finnish Meteorological Institute coordinates experimental measurement campaigns over land and sea across Europe during 2025–2027, as well as modelling of marine and atmospheric conditions.

Further information

Principal Scientist Lauri Laakso, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. +358 29 539 2064

Email address is in the format firstname.lastname@fmi.fi.

This work has received funding from the European Defence Fund (EDF) under the grant agreement FESPAN no. 101167641. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

In Kaisaniemi in Helsinki, the average temperature in spring was 6.9 degrees Celsius. It is the highest value of the station’s entire 182 year observation history, exceeding the previous record from 1921 by 0.3 degrees. According to estimates, the climate change after the early 1900s made this year’s spring roughly 2.3 degrees warmer in Helsinki and the average temperature around 40 times more likely than it would have been without the observed global warming. The estimate is based on a peer-reviewed method by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the University of Helsinki.

This spring’s highest temperature was 30.2 degrees, which was measured in Tohmajärvi and Ilomantsi on 20 May. The lowest temperature in the spring months was -25.2 degrees measured in Nuorgam, Utsjoki on 2 March.

There was widely less rain than usual during this spring, and record breakingly little in some areas in the south. The lowest precipitation was recorded at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, 32.7 millimetres, and the highest in Raistakka, Posio, 168.3 millimetres. The precipitation levels in the spring were the lowest in the measurement history in several southern stations.

In the spring months, the sun shone for 50–90 hours more than usual in the southern and central parts of the country, and in the north, the hours of sunshine were closer to normal.

May continued the streak of warmer than usual spring months

According to the statistics of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the average temperature in May varied from approximately +12 degrees Celsius in the southern part of the country to about +4 degrees Celsius in Northern Lapland. The average temperature for May was higher than normal throughout the whole country. In the north, some observation stations were unusually warm.

The highest temperature of May was 30.2 degrees, recorded on 20 May in Tohmajärvi and Ilomantsi. The figure did not fall far behind the all-time highest temperature in May, 31.0 degrees, which was measured in Lapinjärvi at the end of May 1995. A total of four days that exceeded the temperature of 25 degrees were observed in May, which is one more than the long-term average.

The lowest temperature of the month was -9.2 degrees measured at the Kilpisjärvi Village Centre in Enontekiö on 7 May.

May was slightly drier than usual in the western part of the country and Northern Lapland. In the eastern and northern parts of the country, on the other hand, there was more rain than usual. It rained especially heavy in parts of Kainuu, Koillismaa and Eastern Lapland, even twice as much as usual, and there were station-specific precipitation records in these areas in May.

As in this spring in general, the amount of rain was highest at the Posio Raistakka observation station, where it rained 114.2 mm in May. The lowest amount of precipitation, 13.6 mm, was recorded at the Vihti Hiiskula observation station. The greatest amount of precipitation in a single day, 27.7 millimetres, was recorded at the Ylä-Luosta observation station in Rautavaara on 22 May.

The number of hours of sunshine measured was mostly normal in May, although there were regional differences between the west and the east.

Further information:

Climate Statistics

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.06/min + local network fee)

"Good ways of protecting yourself include seeking shade, wearing clothes with long sleeves and legs, and wearing hats and sunglasses. Exposed skin areas should be protected with a sunscreen that has a protection factor of at least 30," says Kaisa Lakkala, Senior Scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Excessive UV radiation increases the risk of developing skin cancer. The effects of radiation accumulate in the skin’s memory throughout its lifetime, so both burning and prolonged solar exposure should be avoided.

You can check the UV radiation forecast in the UV index service on the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and in the Local weather mobile app. You can also view the value of the observed UV index in seven localities in Finland and in the largest cities in Europe. This year, a map view has been launched allowing you to check the current UV levels throughout Europe. The UV index is based on satellite measurements and is updated in the map every ten minutes.

Young people burn their skin more often than others, some use the UV index for tanning

Young people’s attitudes towards sunbathing and tanning are contradictory, as shown by a recent citizen study conducted by the Cancer Society of Finland and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). The majority of Finnish young people aged 16–20 enjoy sunbathing and tanning, even though they are also concerned about the health hazards of UV radiation and the risk of skin cancer. A total of 780 young people responded to the survey at the end of 2025.

According to the study, young people mainly obtained their tans from the sun: 81% of respondents spend a lot of time in the sun or sunbathe, and 74% say they get their tan specifically from the sun. Sunbathing has increased, especially among the youngest respondents.

"One worrying observation about the results of the survey is that sunburns are common among young people. 70% of the respondents report sunburns at least once in the past year, and nearly one in five have had three or more burns. Based on this information, young people burn their skin considerably more often than the population on average, as in a survey conducted by STUK in 2024, only 19% of respondents reported having sunburns at least once a year," says Anne Höytö, Senior Specialist at STUK.

Although most young people know that UV radiation increases the risk of skin cancer, many feel that their own risk is small. Protection is focused on sunscreen, while clothing and shade are clearly given less attention.

The UV index is well known among young people, but they often use it to maximise tanning rather than to help protect themselves. 86% of respondents know what the UV index is, and 73% say they are monitoring it. Only 27% of young people use the UV index as a guide for protective measures, while 39% monitor the UV index to promote tanning.

"Young people often spend a lot of time outdoors, and at the same time exposure to UV radiation can be high. The UV index is intended to help you understand when the skin should be protected from the harmful effects of UV radiation. The glorification of tan combined with the use of the UV index for tanning is a worrying phenomenon. Although beauty ideals are changing in time, the charm of tanning still seems to prevail and sunbathing is still the primary means of acquiring it," says Heidi Löflund-Kuusela, Manager of Health Promotion at the Cancer Society of Finland.

The Cancer Society of Finland and STUK emphasise that the results show a clear need to strengthen communication aimed at young people about the harmful effects of UV radiation and effective means of protection. It is essential to support everyday solutions that reduce excessive exposure to the sun and to strengthen a positive outlook towards one’s own skin and skin type without pressures about tanning.

Developing and strengthening communications targeted at different population groups is one of the measures of the national programme to reduce skin cancers caused by UV radiation. The programme will be launched this year. Other measures focus on increasing shaded areas in the built environment, such as schools and daycare centre yards, reducing UV-exposure at work and promoting early detection of skin cancers.

Cases of melanoma have remained stable

According to the most recent cancer statistics, nearly 1,800 new cases of melanoma, over 2,100 cases of squamous cell cancers and over 10,000 cases of basal cell cancer were diagnosed in Finland in 2025.

"The incidence of UV-related skin cancers has levelled out compared to the strong growth at the beginning of the millennium. For cases of melanoma, the peak was in 2016, after which the number of annual cases has remained reasonably stable. There are practically no major differences in actual skin cancer mortality between the past few years," says Taneli Väisänen, Chief Medical Officer from Cancer Foundation Finland.

"For melanoma, there are differences in cases by place of residence and gender, among other things. Men are at a higher risk of falling ill and also dying of melanoma than women. However, the five-year prognosis for both sexes is high, more than 90%."

Further information:

Finnish Meteorological Institute  Kaisa Lakkala, Senior Scientist, tel. 040 747 6792, kaisa.lakkala@fmi.fi

• UV index forecast

The Cancer Society of Finland   Taneli Väisänen, Chief Medical Officer, tel. 050 3537 185   Heidi Löflund-Kuusela, Manager of Health Promotion, tel. 050,438 8841

• Know the Cancer Risks

• Skin cancer (in Finnish)

The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK)   Senior Specialist Anne Höytö, tel. +358 975 988 305, anne.hoyto@stuk.fi

• More about the Sun's UV radiation on STUK's website

• Information, tips and stories about the sun's UV radiation (in Finnish)

April warmed up towards mid-month. The weather was relatively clear, which raised daytime temperatures to high numbers, but nighttime temperatures were low. Cooler air flowed to Finland in the second half of April, but the weather warmed up towards May Day.

The month’s highest temperature, 18.8 degrees Celsius, was measured at Ylivieska airport on 14 April. The month’s lowest temperature, -18.5 degrees Celsius, was measured at the Näkkälä observation station in Enontekiö on 4 April.

Low precipitation in April, especially in the east and north

Precipitation was lower than usual throughout Finland. There was particularly low precipitation in North Karelia and the northern part of the country, where the month’s precipitation levels were exceptionally low in many places, and where this month produced record-low levels of precipitation for April statistics at several observation stations.

The month’s precipitation ranged from 1.2 millimetres in Kaaresuvanto in Enontekiö and Jaurakkajärvi in Pudasjärvi to 27.9 millimetres at the Utti airport in Kouvola. The highest daily rainfall of 18.3 millimetres was also recorded at the Utti airport on 25 April.

At the beginning of the month, there was snow widely in the northern and eastern parts of the country, but at the end of April, an even covering of snow was mainly found in Central and Northern Lapland.

The amount of sunshine in the whole country was higher than usual and even unusually high in many places. There were 190 to 310 hours of sunshine.

Further information:

Climate Statistics

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.06/min + local network fee)

The 1.5°C and 2°C thresholds refer to the goals set in the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to stay within 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

Why record hot years matter

Record global temperatures are not just numbers. Each additional fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of damaging heatwaves, heavy rainfall, drought, wildfire conditions, ecosystem disruption and other climate-related impacts.

Recent record-warm years also sharpen concern about climate tipping points, where parts of the Earth system could undergo large and potentially irreversible changes. In that sense, the first year above 1.5°C is not an isolated anomaly, but a warning that the world is moving deeper into a zone of rising damage and risk.

A reality check for 2024 and beyond

The 1.5°C milestone reached in 2024 served as a global wake-up call. Researchers analysed a large number of climate models and found that this first crossing was projected to happen only between 2027 and 2031. The study suggests that 2024’s early arrival was likely driven by natural climate variations – such as El Niño – superimposed on an accelerating human-induced warming trend. Crucially, the models that did get the 2024 timing right were those that account for a faster pace of warming, potentially due to reduced aerosol cooling from lower shipping emissions and recent rapid emission cuts in East Asia, which have unmasked more greenhouse gas–driven warming.

Looking ahead, the research offers a reality check regarding the first crossing of the 2°C target. Due to the long-lasting impact of past greenhouse gas emissions, a first-time breach of the 2°C limit between 2040 and 2050 is now very difficult to avoid even under the most ambitious plans to cut emissions.

According to the study, a likely exceedance of 2°C before mid-century highlights the committed warming from past emissions. At the same time, the results underline that mitigation remains highly effective, as present-day choices will determine the magnitude of long-term warming.

What emission reductions mean for future warming

While near-term temperature changes are partly constrained by past emissions, future warming will still depend on the speed and scale of emission reductions. The study highlights that emission reductions have a major impact on higher warming levels.

If the world rapidly transitions to a low-emission pathway, most climate models show that we can avoid crossing the devastating 3°C threshold. On the other hand, staying on our current or a higher emission pathway would cause warming to spiral in the second half of the century, rapidly crossing 4°C or even 5°C limits with severe consequences for humanity and the planet.

“Ultimately, the study calls for a shift in how we view climate goals. Action is no longer just about staying under a specific limit but about aggressively cutting emissions to steer away from the most dangerous trajectories and buying precious time for societies to adapt to a changing world,” says Kalle Nordling, first author of the study and researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich.

Further information

Researcher Kalle Nordling, Finnish Meteorological Institute

Head of group Joonas Merikanto, Finnish Meteorological Institute

Email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@fmi.fi.

The scientific article is openly available in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.

Reference: Nordling, K., Fahrenbach, N.L.S., Lipponen, A., Merikanto, J.: First crossings of global warming levels in CMIP6 in light of observed 1.5 °C exceedance. npj Clim Atmos Sci (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-026-01401-z

For example, the monthly average temperature at the Sodankylä Tähtelä observation station was –0.7 degrees, which is a new record in the 100-year observation history and exceeded the previous record from 1920 with as much as 1.5 degrees. In the current climate, such warm March occurs in Sodankylä approximately once every 60 years, but without the warming effect of climate change, its probability would only have been about once every 400 years. In other words, climate change made the average temperature of the month approximately six times more likely and increased the temperature by approximately 1.9 degrees. The information is based on a peer-reviewed method by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the University of Helsinki.

The average temperature for the whole country in March was 1.1 degrees, which is also a new record. The previous record was from 2007, when the average temperature for the whole country was 0.0 degrees.

The highest temperature in March was 12.6 degrees, measured at Asemantaus, Heinola, on 22 March. According to preliminary estimates, the previously reported +13.2 degrees measured on the lighthouse roof at Kalbådagrund, in Porvoo, on 14 March, is not considered statistically valid.

The lowest temperature was –25.2 degrees, measured at Nuorgam, in Utsjoki, on 2 March.

In the East and North, many areas snow-free or with record-low snow levels

March was drier than usual, in the southern and central parts of the country, and rainier than usual in the north. The greatest amount of precipitation for March was 62,7 millimetres, recorded at the Kauppilankylä observation station in Teuva. The lowest amount of precipitation, 6.1 mm, was recorded at the Hanko Russarö observation station. The greatest precipitation in a single day, 14.8 mm, was recorded at the Kangasniemi village observation station, on 1 March.

The warm March caused the snow to melt rapidly throughout Finland, and at the end of March, the amount of snow was record low in many areas of Eastern and Northern Finland. On the last day of March, the snow cover had largely melted throughout the country, with the exception of Koillismaa and Lapland. In North Karelia, North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, snow depth was 2–5 centimetres, in places, with the exception of Puolanka Paljakka, where the snow depth was 27 centimetres. In Lapland and Koillismaa, snow depth was approximately 20–80 centimetres, with the exception of the northernmost area of Kilpisjärvi, where snow depth was approximately 90 centimetres at the end of the month.

The number of sunshine hours was widely close to normal levels.

Further information:

Climate Statistics

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.06/min + local network fee)