Country sees unusually heavy rain in May

Finland saw an unusually high level of precipitation in May. Rainfall for the entire spring, that is from March till May, was also exceptionally high in many places, said an official press release.

Rainfall in May varied between approximately 40 and 100 millimetres. The amount of monthly rainfall was higher than average almost throughout the country. The most rain fell in the central and eastern parts of the country and in parts of Southern Lapland, where the monthly precipitation level was more than twice as high as usual.

The precipitation volumes were unusually high in many places, which means that this heavy rain is received in May only once in 10 years or even less frequently. In places, the amount of rainfall was even exceptional, which means that such heavy rain has been experienced in May no more than thrice in a century.

At the Sulkavankylä observation station in Alavus, for example, the May precipitation was the highest in the station's 50 years of measurement history. The month's highest amount of precipitation, 121.8 millimetres, was measured at the Koli observation station in Lieksa.

The lowest levels of rainfall were recorded in the southwest coast and in the eastern parts of Lapland. The month's lowest rainfall, 32.4 millimetres, was measured in Artukainen, Turku. The highest rainfall per day in May was 33.3 millimetres, and it was measured at the Joutsjärvi observation station in Sysmä on 11 May.

The average temperature in May was approximately 8–10 degrees in the southern and central parts of the country and 4–8 degrees in the northern parts. The average temperature for the month was very close to the long-term averages. The highest temperature in May, 27.8 degrees, was recorded on 20 May in Tulkkila, Kokemäki, and on 21 May in Artukainen, Turku.