Mercury goes to minus 32 °C in Lapland

The ongoing cold spell is likely to intensify further across the country at the end of this week and early next week.

The northern part of the country already experiencing severe cold weather from beginning of this week and the temperature is likely to drop further in the coming days.

The temperature fell to minus -32.4 ° C in Kilpisjärvi, minus 31.0 ° C at Muonio, minus 28.4 ° C in Kittilä early Wednesday night, according to the met office report.

Temperatures in southern and central parts of the country may also fall to minus 30 degrees Celsius next week, national broadcaster Yle reported.

According to Yle meteorologist Joonas Koskela, the cold wave from Siberia likely to approach to the west resulting severe cold in Finland bringing down the current chilly temperatures in southern and central parts even lower.

Meanwhile, January was milder than usual in most of the country; the month was colder than average only in the very northernmost Lapland, said a press release of Finnish Meteorological Institute.

At the end of the month, Lapland was the snowiest area.

The month's average temperature was lower than usual only in the municipalities of

Enontekiö and Utsjoki. January's average temperature varied from 0 to -4 degrees Celsius in the southern parts of the country, to below -13 degrees in Northern Lapland.

January's lowest temperature, -36.8°C, was recorded at the Nellim observation station in Inari on 24 January. The highest temperature, +6.9°C, was recorded at the Jomalaby station in Jomala and at the Bogskär station in Kökar on 25 January.

At the end of the month, the areas of Enontekiö and Kittilä had the highest levels of snow, nearly one metre. The highest level of snow, 98 cm, was recorded in Kaaresuvanto, Enontekiö. There were only a few centimetres of snow in many areas in the southern part of the country at the end of January