Finland sees unusually mild March in South

Finland experienced an exceptionally mild temperature in the southern part in March this year, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

Other parts of the country were also milder than usual, said FMI in a press release on Thursday.

By the end of the month, there was generally no snow in the southern and western parts of the country.

The average temperature in March varied from just over 2 degrees Celsius in the southwest of the country to around minus 7 degrees Celsius in Käsivarsi, Northern Lapland.

The average temperature in March was higher than usual throughout the country, even exceptionally high in the southern part of the country.

For example, the monthly average temperature at the Helsinki Kaisaniemi observation station was 2.8 degrees Celsius, which is the second highest in the observation history of the station.

Only in 2007 was March even milder in Kaisaniemi. In addition, the 2.5 degrees March average temperature in Kaarina Yltöinen is a new record for the station in its 98-year observation history.

The highest temperature in March was 14.9 degrees Celsius, measured at Mikkeli airport, on 31 March.

The lowest temperature, in contrast, was minus 32.5 degrees Celsius, measured at Kevojärvi in Utsjoki Kevo, on 15 March.

Meanwhile, March was fairly normal in terms of precipitation, with lower than usual precipitation mainly in the southern part of the country.

The greatest amount of precipitation for March was 63.5 millimetres, recorded at the Kilpisjärvi village centre observation station in Enontekiö.

The lowest amount of precipitation, 2.8 mm, was recorded at the Kustavi Isokari observation station.

The greatest precipitation in a single day, 28.1 mm, was recorded at the Kilpisjärvi village centre observation station, on 18 March.

On the last day of March, the snow cover had largely melted from the southern and western parts of the country.

In Central Finland, North Savo, North Karelia and Kainuu, there was approximately 20–50 centimetres of snow. In Lapland, snow depth was approximately 30–80 centimetres, with the exception of the northernmost area of Kilpisjärvi, where snow depth was nearly 140 centimetres at the end of the month.

Apart from Central and Northern Lapland, the snow depth in Finland was lower than usual at the end of the month, and unusually or even exceptionally low in the central parts of the country.

The entire country saw a usual number of sunshine hours.