Country experiences cool, rainy weather in October

October's mean temperature was cooler than the long-term average (1981‒2010), according to the statistics of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

The mean temperature was between minus 3 and minus 4 degrees Celsius in northern Lapland, and above 7 degrees Celsius in the southwestern archipelago.

The biggest deviation from the long-term average was in northern Lapland, where the mean temperature was approximately three degrees below average. Whereas, on the southern coast, the deviation was merely a few tenths of degrees.

The highest temperature of the month was 13.4°C, recorded on 1 October at the Helsinki lighthouse. In contrast, the lowest temperature, minus 24.2°C, was recorded at the Enontekiö airport on 28 October.

October was, in many parts of the country, rainier than average, especially parts of North Karelia experienced exceptionally heavy rains, while parts of western Finland and northern Lapland had below-average precipitation.

The month's highest amount of precipitation, 137 millimetres, was measured at the Tvärminne observation station in Hanko.

In comparison, the lowest amount of precipitation, 18 millimetres, was measured at the Näkkälä observation station in Enontekiö.

The highest daily amount of precipitation, 64.4 millimetres, was measured on the first day of the month at the Ala-Luosta observation station in Rautavaara.

In early October, snow arrived in parts of North Karelia and Kainuu. During mid-October, snow cover grew in Lapland.

At the end of the month, snow depth was between 0 to 10 centimetres in eastern Finland, Kainuu, and Koillismaa, and commonly between 10 to 30cm in Lapland, In Central Lapland especially, snow depth was well higher than normal, in parts even unusually high.