February was colder than usual but ended mild

According to the statistics of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, February was 1–4 degrees colder than usual in the whole country. The average temperature varied between -5 and -10 degrees Celsius in the southern and western parts of the country, while in the southwestern archipelago it was around -3 degrees. In the eastern and northern parts of the country, the average temperature was between -10 and -15 degrees Celsius.

Throughout February, the temperature mainly remained below freezing in most parts of the country. About halfway into the month, the temperature rose above zero for a few days in southwestern Finland and on the west coast, but it was not until 20 February that the weather started getting milder, first in the southern and western parts of the country and then, at the end of the month, also in northernmost Lapland. On the last day of February, new station-specific temperature records were measured in the southwestern archipelago at the following long-term observation stations: Hanko Tvärminne, Hanko Russarö and Lemland Nyhamn.

The lowest temperature of the month, -39.7 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Kevojärvi in Utsjoki on 20 February. The highest temperature of the month, +9.8 degrees Celsius, was measured on 25 February at Mariehamn Airport and Jomalaby in Jomala.

Plenty of snow in Central Finland

In the area extending from Eastern Finland to Ostrobothnia, the February precipitation levels were above average and even unusually high in places. In contrast, rainfall in the southwestern parts of the country was mainly lower than usual. In Northern Finland, the precipitation levels were normal.

The highest amount of precipitation in February, 72.8 millimetres, was measured in the parish of Vesanto. Utö in Parainen saw the least rain, just 6.4 millimetres.

At the end of the month, snow depth varied from 5–20 centimetres on the southern and southwestern coast to 40–80 centimetres in the central and northern parts of the country. Snow depth was higher than usual in Central Finland, whereas the southern parts of the country had either a normal amount or less snow than on average. Snow depth in Northern Lapland was even unusually low in places.

Winter was approximately one degree milder than usual

In terms of temperature, the winter months of December–February were approximately one degree milder than usual in nearly all of the country. December was the mildest of the winter months. The average temperature of the month was unusually high at many of the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s observation stations, which means that a December this mild occurs less frequently than once in ten years. In the southern and central parts of the country, the winter's average temperature varied between -2 and -8 degrees Celsius, while in the southwestern archipelago it was slightly higher. In the northern parts of the country, the average temperature was between -7 and -12 degrees Celsius.

In December–February, the precipitation levels were above average and even unusually high in the southern and central parts of the country. In contrast, the rainfall was close to average in the north, and Northern Lapland saw less rain than usual throughout the time period. The snowfall levels were higher than average in Central Finland, but below average in the southwest and in parts of Lapland.

More information:

Weather statistics from the Climate Service tel. +358 600 1 0601 (€ 4.01 /min + local call charge)