Country experiences warmer than average April

April was 0.5–1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the long-term average, according to the figures of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

The largest deviation from the average was seen in Lapland. The month’s average temperature varied from +4°C in the southern parts of the country to around minus 1°C in northern Lapland.

The last time there was a warmer April was in 2016. The figures show that 14 of the Aprils so far this century have been warmer than normal when compared to the average for 1981-2010.

The month’s highest temperature was 21.1°C recorded in Jomala on 20 April while the lowest temperature, at minus 25.9°C, was recorded at the village centre in Kilpisjärvi on 1 April.

In many areas, April saw higher precipitation levels than usual. Especially in the provinces of Päijät-Häme and Kymenlaakso and in Kittilä municipality, levels were around 180 per cent higher than normal.

The highest level of precipitation, at 63.3 mm, was measured in Pokka, Kittilä and the lowest, at 9.1 mm, in Näkkälä, Enontekiö.

At the end of April, the area of snow cover stretched from the northern part of North Karelia to the coast of the Bay of Bothnia. In Lapland, the snow depth was still around half a metre, which for most of the area is higher than average.

Thermal spring got going in the first week of April in southern and central parts of the country, which is 1-2 weeks later than average for the south.

In the second week of April, thermal spring began also in northern Lapland, which is around 1.5 weeks earlier than normal.