Warm weather continues in Finland despite autumn’s arrival

Despite the calendar turning to autumn, summer-like weather continues across Finland. According to Yle’s meteorologist Aleksi Lohtander, the early part of the week will be predominantly warm. By mid-week, temperatures may reach around twenty degrees Celsius even in Southern Lapland. As the week progresses, local heat waves are also possible.

“On Tuesday, hot weather may be expected in the east, particularly in North Karelia. On Wednesday and Thursday, heat waves could occur in Southern Finland,” Lohtander states. However, there remains some uncertainty in the forecasts.

As typical for autumn, the weather is slightly unstable. Rain showers can be expected across the country. On Monday, precipitation will mainly move through the western part of the country, but isolated showers may occur elsewhere. By Monday evening, rain could spread from Southeastern Finland up to Lapland, potentially accompanied by thunderstorms.

“Wednesday is currently looking mostly dry and sunny across nearly the entire country,” adds Lohtander.

The warm weather is attributed to high-pressure systems affecting the area to the east of Finland. “The high pressure effectively lifts warm air from Southern Europe into our region. This kind of air flow has occurred quite frequently in Finland this summer,” explains Lohtander.

Hot days in September are a rare occurrence. Lohtander reviews statistics from the Finnish Meteorological Institute and estimates that such days happen a few times per decade somewhere in Finland. The last heat wave in September was recorded in 2019 when temperatures reached 26.2 degrees Celsius in Lappeenranta. The latest recorded heat day was on September 17, 1947, making it quite some time since. “Heat waves are no longer common at this latitude in September,” Lohtander remarks with a chuckle.