January coldest in northern Finland since 1987, FMI says

This past January was the coldest in northern Finland in nearly four decades, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

New statistics released on Monday show that temperatures were lower than average across the entire country. Monthly mean temperatures ranged from around minus two degrees Celsius in the southwestern archipelago to about minus 20 degrees in Lapland.

The highest temperature recorded in January was 4.3 degrees Celsius, measured on 17 January in Lemland in the autonomous Åland Islands. Across most of mainland Finland, temperatures stayed below zero for almost the whole month.

The coldest reading was minus 42.8 degrees Celsius, recorded in Savukoski, Lapland, on 9 January. FMI said this was the third-coldest temperature measured in Finland so far this century.

January was also unusually dry in many areas. Precipitation totals ranged from just 2.8 millimetres in Nuorgam, Finland’s northernmost village, to more than 56 millimetres in Åland. In large parts of the country, precipitation was about a quarter of the normal level, resulting in thinner-than-usual snow cover.

Several observation stations in central and eastern Finland, including Jyväskylä and Lieksa, reported their lowest January precipitation on record. The month also saw fewer hours of sunshine than average nationwide.

Finland’s all-time January cold record remains minus 51.5 degrees Celsius, measured in Pokka, Kittilä, in 1999.