Country experiences milder March than usual

The average temperature in March was 1-2 degrees Celsius less than is usual in March of Finland, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

The average temperature in March ranged from just under two degrees Celsius in the Åland Islands to about seven degrees Celsius below zero in Central Lapland, said the FMI in a press release on Monday.

The average temperature for the month was above normal in many areas. Temperatures were at normal levels mainly in the east and in Kainuu.

In the southwest archipelago, the West Coast, and in the northwest part of Finnish Lapland, the average temperature was more than two degrees above that of the statistical comparison period 1981–2010, while in North Karelia it was near the average for the given period.

The highest temperature recorded in March was 14.6 degrees Celsius at Jomala Jomalaby on 23 March. The lowest temperature of minus 38.9 degrees Celsius was recorded at Kalliojoki in Kuhmo on 9 March.

At the end of March, there was no snow on the ground in the southwest of Finland and in Åland. Snow depth in other parts of Finland was still 10-90cm. Snow was deepest at the end of the month in Kainuu and Kilpisjärvi.

Compared with long-term averages, there was less snow than usual in all parts of the country at the end of the month, and in parts of Central Lapland the snow level was exceptionally low.

In early to mid-March there was more snow than usual, especially in central areas, but the long mild spell caused the snow to melt to below-average levels.