Country experiences exceptionally warm summer

The summer from June to August was approximately two degrees warmer than usual this year, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

On average, such a warm summer occurs every 20 to 30 years in Finland. In some areas, the summer was even more extreme, said an FMI press release.

At the Kaisaniemi observation station in Helsinki, for example, it was the warmest summer recorded in the weather station’s 174-year history, with the same temperatures reached in 2011.

In Tähtelä, Sodankylä, the summer was the second warmest in the 118 years of recorded history, with only 1937 being warmer.

With May included, the summer was the warmest in recorded history both at individual observation stations and in terms of the average temperature in the whole country.

The average temperature in the whole country from May to August was as much as 0.3 degrees Celsius warmer than during the second warmest year of 1937.

The summer’s highest temperature of 33.7°C was recorded in Klemettilä, Vaasa, on July 18. This is the second highest temperature in at least 60 years; only the hottest temperature recorded in the summer of 2010 was higher (37.2 °C).

In the southern part of the country, there were approximately 40 hot days exceeding the temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, and at the observation stations in Lapland, approximately 20. Depending on area, there were 10 to 30 more hot days (days when temperatures rose above 25 degrees) than usual.

The biggest number of 46 hot days recorded at an individual observation station was measured in Heinola.

Altogether 63 hot days exceeding the temperature of 25 degrees Celsius were recorded in different parts of the country, which is the second biggest number since the 1960s. More hot days were recorded only in 2002, in total 65. In the light of the statistics, it is possible to reach temperatures of over 25 degrees Celsius in September, too.

It rained unusually little in the western parts of the country between June and August. Especially in the area from Ahvenanmaa to central Finland, precipitation levels were only half of the average, which is rare. Such low precipitation levels occur every 10 to 30 years on average.

At some observation stations in southwestern Finland, the summer broke the previous records by being exceptionally dry. A higher than average precipitation was seen primarily only in northern Lapland. The highest amount of precipitation, 286.6mm, was measured in Taivalkoski.

It rained the least, 77.6mm, in Jomala, Ahvenanmaa.

The draught started already in May, and the western parts of the country did not have any rain for over a month. Low precipitation levels combined with evaporation caused by the heat made the terrain and the forests very dry, especially in early summer.

The average temperature in August was one to three degrees higher than is normal. The biggest difference was recorded in the eastern parts of the country, where a similar August takes place every 10 to 30 years on average.

The highest temperature of the month, 32.9 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Konnunsuo, Lappeenranta on August 2. The lowest temperature of the month, -2.5°C, was recorded in the Kittilä district of Lompolonvuoma on August 28.

Similar to the summer, August was drier than usual in the western parts of the country, where it rained less than half of the usual amount in some places. The amount of precipitation was above average in the northern parts of the country, and in northern Lapland, which was as much as twice the typical amount. According to the preliminary information, the highest rainfall of 143.3mm in August was measured in Angel, Inari. It rained the least in Yttilä, Köyliö, measured at 14.9mm. The highest amount of precipitation in one day, 64.4mm, was measured in Kaustinen on August.

As many as 61,000 lightning strikes were recorded in August, which is twice as much as usual. Almost all of the lightning strikes were observed during two consecutive days, August 2 and 3.