December was colder than average

The monthly mean temperature varied between -6 °C in Ahvenanmaa and -16 °C in northeast Finland. The temperature anomalies across the country were mainly between -3 °C and -5 °C.The highest temperature of 3.6 °C was recorded at Jomalaby on the 30th. The lowest temperature of -34.7 °C was recorded at Kuusamo on the 20th of December.

In parts of western Finland and western Lapland the monthly precipitation was above average whereas parts of eastern Finland and northern Lapland received less than average precipitation.Snow covered the whole country throughout most of the month. Northwestern Lapland and parts of southern Finland had over 50 cm of snow at the end of December. The most snow, 73 cm, was in Kittilä.

Additional information:

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. 0600 1 0601 (€ 3.98/min. + local network charge)Weather forecasts from the meteorologist on duty, 24 hours a day, tel. 0600 1 0600 (€ 3.98/min. + local network charge)

Weather statistics for December (in Finnish): http://ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/joulukuu

The Finnish Meteorological Institute’s weather application for iPhone and Android phones:http://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/smartphones