West sees higher snowfall, Lapland lower in January

The snow depth was 10-20 centimetres higher in some places in the western part of the country than is usual in January while the northern Lapland had 10-20 centimetres less snow than is usual, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

At the end of the month, snow depth varied from about 10 cm in Åland to about 70 cm in the western part of Lapland, said the FMI in a press release on Tuesday.

The severely freezing temperatures of mid-month were followed by a milder period, which balanced out the average temperature in January.

According to the FMI, the average temperature in January varied from about minus 1 degree Celsius in the southwestern archipelago to minus 14 degrees Celsius in central Lapland.

In a large part of the country, the average temperatures in January were fairly typical. In the southern part of the country, the average temperature was about one degree warmer than the average for 1981-2010, while in parts of Lapland, it was about one degree colder.

The highest temperature of the month was 6.8 degrees Celsius measured in Kökar on 22 January.

The lowest temperature, in turn, was minus 39.4 degrees Celsius recorded at Kittilä airport on 13 January.