March was mild and exceptionally wet

The average temperature in March varied between approximately +1 degrees Celsius in the south-western archipelago and -9 degrees in Northern Lapland, said the Met Office in a press release.

According to statistics compiled by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, March was 1 to 2 degrees milder than average in many parts of the country.

However, such a mild March is not rare, but occurs on average more than once in a decade. The monthly average temperature was close to or slightly below normal only in Central and Northern Lapland.

The highest temperature in March was 13.4°C, recorded in Jomala, Ahvenanmaa on 29 March. The lowest temperature was -37.9°C, recorded in Kevojärvi, Utsjoki on 2 March.

Several low-pressure areas moved over our country in March. This means that precipitation was heavier than usual in large parts of the country. In the east and north, monthly precipitation was unusually high in places – that is, a similar amount occurs less frequently than once every 30 years. The heaviest precipitation level for March in the station's measuring history spanning over 100 years, 66.6 mm, was recorded in Tähtelä, Sodankylä. The month's highest precipitation level of 85.3 mm was recorded in Paljakka, Puolanka. Kevo, Utsjoki had the lowest monthly precipitation level of 11.0 mm.

At the end of the month, the zone reaching from Northern Karelia to Lapland had, in general, between half a metre and one metre of snow, and the rest of the country, mostly 10–50 cm. Areas near the southern and western coastline were free of snow in many places. At the end of the month, snow depth was lower than usual in large parts of the country.