Finland experiencing mildest winter in a century

Finland is experiencing the warmest winter in a hundred years, and the lakes in the southern part of the country may remain unfrozen for the first time in centuries, local media reported on Thursday.

Meteorologist Kerttu Kotakorpi told national broadcaster Yle that across the country, the average temperature so far this January has been up to 10 degrees Celsius higher than normal, and that the latest forecasts show that the warm spell will continue.

Kotakorpi said that in Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu regions in northern Finland, the highest temperatures in a hundred years have been recorded in January.

The long-term average temperature in January at Kajaani Airport in the region of Kainuu was minus 11.3 degrees Celsius, but this year it is minus one degree Celsius. At Oulu Airport in Northern Ostrobothnia, the average temperature recorded in January was 0.4 degree Celsius, while the previous average temperature was minus 9.7 degrees Celsius.

As the result of the mild weather, the lakes in southern and western Finland, as well as in Ostrobothnia to the north, may not freeze over this winter for the first time on record, according to Johanna Korhonen, development manager at the Finnish Environment Institute.

Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, pointed out in his recent newspaper column that climate change is noticeable through numerous measurements, and warming is progressing both in the air and in the sea.

Taalas warned that extreme weather will continue this year and the coming years, and the trend is accelerated by the record levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

He called for political action to tackle climate change, saying that politicians needed to create the framework to enable businesses and consumers to direct their money towards good solutions for the future.