Country experiences mild, dry November

A mild November brought an end to a mild autumn. In mid-November there was exceptionally little snow, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

November was milder than normal throughout the country and exceptionally mild in Lapland. On an average, similar conditions occur less than once every 30 years, said the Met office in a press release on Tuesday.

The deviation from the long-term average temperature was about two degrees Celsius in the south and more than six degrees Celsius in northern Lapland.

The month’s highest temperature of 11.0°C was recorded on the island of Kemiö on 1 November while the lowest temperature was minus 22.0°C recorded in Naruska, Salla on 27 November.

The mild and dry November resulted in exceptionally low snow cover in Lapland. In mid-November almost all of Lapland was without snow. By the end of the month, there were one to 10 centimetres of snow in the eastern and northern parts of the country. For the most part in the west, the ground remained free of snow.

In most parts of the country, the autumn (September to November) was one to three degrees Celsius warmer than usual. On an average, a warm autumn like this is recorded in Finland once every 10 years, although the previous comparable autumn was in 2015.