Finland’s first snow of the season has fallen in parts of Kainuu, northeastern Finland, Lapland and Northern Savo, with the town of Puolanka recording a snow depth of up to 20 centimetres, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
The early snowfall has brought winter conditions to parts of northern and eastern Finland, although measurements from other weather stations have been considerably lower. Several stations reported snow depths of between two and six centimetres.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute officially records the first snow when a weather station measures a snow cover of at least one centimetre at 8 am. This standard distinguishes measurable snow cover from brief flurries that disappear before accumulating on the ground.
Pinja Rauhamaki, an on-call meteorologist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, said the snow was melting slowly in the areas that had received snowfall. Temperatures are expected to fall to around freezing overnight, while daytime readings may reach approximately three degrees Celsius.
Although the ground remains relatively warm, which can speed up melting, Rauhamaki said there were no clear signs that the measured snow depth had started to decrease.
The arrival of snow in northern and eastern Finland does not mean that winter conditions will spread across the country immediately. Much of the weekend forecast points instead to cloudy skies, rain and damp weather, particularly in southern Finland.
Rauhamaki said rain would remain the main feature of the weekend forecast. Some of the precipitation could fall as a mixture of rain and sleet in central Finland during Saturday night or Sunday morning. Any snow mixed into the precipitation is unlikely to settle and remain on the ground.
In the Helsinki metropolitan area, Saturday is expected to be mostly cloudy and breezy, with temperatures ranging from five to ten degrees Celsius. The sea is helping to keep coastal areas relatively mild, according to Rauhamaki.
Light drizzle is possible during the day, while a low-pressure system approaching from the southwest is expected to bring a more substantial area of rainfall towards the capital region in the evening.
Sunday is forecast to bring similar conditions, with grey skies and occasional drizzle continuing across the Helsinki area.
The contrast between measurable snow in parts of northern and eastern Finland and the milder, wet conditions farther south illustrates how differently the weather can develop across the country during autumn. While Puolanka has already recorded a substantial layer of snow, southern Finland is still experiencing temperatures well above freezing.
