Country sees highly warm September this year

September this year was unusually warm and, in some places, exceptionally so, with the exception of Lapland, according to the statistics maintained by the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

The average temperature in September varied between approximately 14 degrees Celsius in southern areas and just under eight degrees Celsius in the north of Finnish Lapland.

The average temperature for the month was one to three degrees higher than usual. The month has similar temperatures every 10 to 30 years on an average, a bit more often in Lapland, said a press release issued by the FMI on Monday.

In terms of temperature, the month was divided into two parts. The beginning and middle of the month were clearly warmer than usual, whereas the end of the month was colder.

The month’s highest temperature, 26.1°C, was recorded in Pyynpää Rauma on September 8.

On September 26 and 27, a storm dubbed Kuisma hit the country, causing quite a bit of damage and power cuts, especially in the country’s southern and middle areas. The strongest average wind speed measured in sea areas was 26.q metres per second recorded in Kylmäpihlaja, Rauma.

The month’s lowest temperature, minus 9.5 °C, was recorded in Muonio Village on September 29.

September was also unusually rainy in most of the country. Especially in the area stretching from south Karelia to northern Lapland, the month’s overall amount of precipitation was exceptionally high in some places, meaning that this happens once every 10 to 30 years.

The first snow recorded by the Met Office fell on September 25 in Kilpisjärvi Village. The snow-depth that morning was two centimetres.