Winter was colder than usual

According to the statistics of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the winter, i.e. the period from December to February, was colder than usual. Temperatures were widely 1–3 degrees below the long-term average. The last time that winter was colder in a large part of the country was in 2011, although it was colder in Northern Lapland in winter 2018.

February was fairly ordinary in temperatures, but December and January, which were clearly colder than average, caused the whole winter to be recorded as colder than usual. The average temperature in the winter varied between approximately ‒1 degree Celsius in the southwest archipelago to ‒14 degrees in Eastern and Northern Lapland.

The lowest temperature for the winter, ‒44.3 degrees Celsius, was measured at the Enontekiö Airport on 5 January. This was also the lowest temperature measured in Finland in the 2000s. The highest temperature for the winter, +6.8 degrees, was recorded at the Kökar observation station in Bogskär, on 19 December.

The precipitation from December to February was close to the typical level, with the west coast and Lapland experiencing precipitation slightly below the long-term average levels. According to preliminary data, the highest precipitation for the winter months, 207.6 mm, was recorded at the Kumpula observation station in Helsinki. The lowest amount of precipitation, 59.9 mm, was recorded at the Nellim observation station in Inari.

During the winter months, most of the observation stations measured fewer hours of sunshine than usual.

February was more rainy than usual

According to the statistics of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, February's average temperature was fairly typical. The average temperature of the month varied between approximately ‒1 degree Celsius in the southwest archipelago to approximately ‒12 degrees in Eastern Lapland. The deviation from the long-term average was about one degree above the average in the southern part of the country and in Northern Lapland, in other parts of the country the average temperatures were close to normal.

The lowest temperature for the month, ‒39.7 degrees, was recorded at the Tulppio observation station in Savukoski, on 9 February. The highest temperature for the month, +6.2 degrees, was recorded at the Santahaka observation station in Kokkola, on 24 February.

With the exception of Lapland, February was more rainy than usual, in places even exceptionally rainy. According to preliminary data, the highest amount of precipitation in February was recorded in Kangasniemi village, where the total amount of rainfall was 90 mm. The highest amount of precipitation within a 24-hour period, 36.8 mm, was measured at the Jomalaby observation station in Jomala, on 16 February. The lowest amount of precipitation was recorded at the Näkkälä observation station in Enontekiö, only 11.6 mm.

At the end of February, snow was found at all observation stations in mainland Finland. There was no snow in the Åland Islands and in parts of the southwest archipelago. Snow cover was deepest, 111 cm, at the Puolanka Paljakka observation station in Kainuu. Especially in the central part of the country, the amount of snow was higher than usual, even exceptionally high at some places from Central Finland to Kainuu. On the southern coast and in Eastern Lapland, there were areas with less snow than average.

February saw 30‒70 hours of sunshine. Generally speaking, the number of hours of direct sunlight was slightly below usual.

More information:

Climate in Finland

Weather statistics from the Climate Service, tel. 0600 1 0601 (€ 4.01/min + local network fee)