Temperature falls to minus 38.7 °C in Lapland

The ongoing cold spell remains continued in the country and the temperature fell to minus 38.7 degrees Celsius in Sodankylä in Lapland on Sunday morning, which was the lowest temperature in the country this winter.

According to Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), most of the parts of Lapland experienced severe cold during the recent days. The lowest temperature in Kuusamo was recorded about minus 37 degrees Celsius.

Meteorologist Ari-Juhani Punkka told National broadcaster Yle that the cold wave is brought on by an Arctic air mass moving through northern and eastern Finland, reported Yle.

"When you have lots of snow, an Arctic air mass and clear skies, you get biting temperatures," said the Yle report quoting Punkka, adding that East of the Ural Mountains conditions are even more severe, and temperatures are colder.

The coldest temperature recorded so far in Finland was minus 51.5 degrees Celsius in Kittilä in 1999.

The cold spell will continue Monday the temperatures may also fall from minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 30 degrees Celsius in the south, said the Yle report quoting FMI.