Latest news with #MeteorologicalInstitute
Time of India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Finland breaks 50-year heat record with 14 days over 30C
People enjoy the warm weather at the Ounaskoski Beach in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland. (Pic credit: AP) Helsinki: Finland has broken an over 50-year-old weather record as the country is witnessing the longest period of temperatures above 30C, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said on Friday. As Parikkala in eastern Finland hit 30.3 Celsius before midday, this meant that temperatures have now soared to 30C in parts of the country 14 days in a row, breaking previous record of 13 consecutive days from June and July 1972. "This is the longest period of consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30C since records began in 1961," the institute wrote on X. The Nordic country is in the midst of a period of warm weather that the institute has described as "exceptionally long" in places. Meteorologist Ville Siiskonen at the Meteorological Institute said: "Periods of warm weather will be longer and there can be more of them."
NDTV
3 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Finland Breaks 50-Year Record With 14 Straight Days Over 30 Degrees Celsius
Finland: Finland has broken an over 50-year-old weather record as the country is witnessing the longest period of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said on Friday. As Parikkala in eastern Finland hit 30.3 degrees Celsius before midday, this meant that temperatures have now soared to 30 degrees Celsius in parts of the country for 14 days in a row, breaking the previous record of 13 consecutive days from June and July 1972. "This is the longest period of consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius since records began in 1961," the institute wrote on X. (Translated) Parikkala Koitsanlahden klo 11.00-12.00 välinen maksimilämpötila oli 30,3 °C, tehden tästä päivästä 14. peräkkäisen päivän, jolloin yli 30,0 °C on mitattu jossain päin Suomea. Tämä on pisin peräkkäisten 30 asteen ylitysten päivien jakso vuodesta 1961 alkaen olevissa tilastoissa. — Ilmatieteen laitos (@meteorologit) July 25, 2025 The Nordic country is currently in the midst of a period of warm weather that the institute has described as "exceptionally long" in places. Meteorologist Ville Siiskonen at the Meteorological Institute told AFP that global warming in general means that such bouts of warm weather will be more frequent in the future, but the current record period cannot be attributed to climate change without further study. "Periods of warm weather will be longer and there can be more of them," he said. The record comes a year after the Lapland region of northern Finland, Norway, and Sweden saw its warmest summer in 2,000 years in 2024, with climate change increasing the likelihood of such exceptionally warm summers by around a hundred times.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Finland sees longest period of temperatures above 30C
Finland has broken an over 50-year-old weather record as the country is witnessing the longest period of temperatures above 30C, the Finnish Meteorological Institute has said. As Parikkala in eastern Finland hit 30.3C before midday, this meant that temperatures have now soared to 30C in parts of the country 14 days in a row, breaking the previous record of 13 consecutive days from June and July 1972. "This is the longest period of consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30C since records began in 1961," the institute wrote on X. The Nordic country is currently in the midst of a period of warm weather that the institute has described as "exceptionally long" in places. Meteorologist Ville Siiskonen at the Meteorological Institute said that global warming in general means that such bouts of warm weather will be more frequent in the future, but the current record period cannot be attributed to climate change without further study. "Periods of warm weather will be longer and there can be more of them," he said. The record comes a year after the Lapland region of northern Finland, Norway and Sweden saw its warmest summer in 2,000 years in 2024, with climate change increasing the likelihood of such exceptionally warm summers by around a hundred times.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Too hot for Santa as Lapland buckles under record heatwave
"Make sure the reindeer have plenty of water - and don't forget to drink a glass every hour too," Santa reminds a team of elves busy making presents for next Christmas as Lapland swelters in a record not every day that Father Christmas finds himself briefing his elves about the hazards of sunstroke, but this summer northern Finland has seen temperatures hover around 30C for days on end. As for Santa, he will be staying indoors most of the day - his bright red costume trimmed with fur is very warm. "I'm only going out for a swim in the lake in the forest after 18:00, when the weather has started to cool off," he says. While Santa's workshop in the city of Rovaniemi is adapting with cheerful resilience, the unusually warm temperatures in the Arctic are a serious matter – and scientists are pointing at climate change as the an unusually cold and rainy spring and early summer, the whole of Finland – including the far north of Lapland, 500km (310 miles) above the Arctic Circle – suddenly became caught up in a continuous spell of hot 25 July, the heatwave in Rovaniemi will have lasted 15 days. In Finland a heatwave is defined as a period of at least three consecutive days where the daily maximum temperature exceeds Meteorological Institute's meteorologist Jaakko Savela explains that in Lapland, where temperatures over 30C are extremely rare, heatwaves like the current one are exceptional."The last time Finnish Lapland had a similarly long heatwave was in 1972," Savela says. But even that only lasted 12 to 14 days, depending on the exact location. "That record has now been broken."It's not just Rovaniemi that's been gripped by scorching temperatures. Several other weather stations across Lapland have registered their longest ever heatwaves since records highest temperature of the heatwave, 31.7C, was measured at two locations, Ylitornio and Sodankylä, earlier this week. That's about 10C above the seasonal average for Lapland. The heatwave has prompted renewed concern about the accelerating pace of climate change in the Arctic, which is warming four to five times faster than the rest of the notes that this particular, long heatwave was not directly caused by climate change. However, he says, "Climate change has had an impact: without it, temperatures over the last two weeks would have been lower".Prof Jeff Weller, University of the Arctic Research Chair at the University of Oulu, is climate change? A really simple guideHeatwaves and extreme weather events in summer and winter alike have become so frequent that they can only have been caused by fundamental changes to the climate system."All over the world, every day, climate change is manifested in extreme heat and extreme precipitation events," says Prof Weller. "The fingerprint of climate change is upon us."Heatwaves are becoming more common due to human-caused climate change, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate hot weather will happen more often – and become even more intense – as the planet continues to warm, it has said. The extreme heat is also affecting Lapland's famed reindeer. Celebrated worldwide as Santa's sleigh-pullers at Christmas, reindeer here roam freely across forests and fells. But as they're hounded by mosquitoes – which thrive in hot weather – reindeer are now fleeing to roads and villages in search of relief."For reindeer the only option would be to go to higher, windier elevations but in Finnish Lapland the highest elevation is only about 1,000m (3,300 ft)," says Prof adds that because more extreme and longer heatwaves will occur more frequently in the Arctic in the future, "reindeer herders might end up having to build big barns to provide shade for their animals".It's not just Santa and his reindeer who are struggling. Lapland is traditionally known as a cool tourist destination – but this year, visitors are puzzled."It's super-hot here – 30C is killing me. I came to escape the heat," says Silvia, a tourist from Prague visiting Santa's holiday village in Rovaniemi. "I expected much colder weather and packed the wrong clothes. I only have one short-sleeve t-shirt with me – I've been wearing it every day." It doesn't help that days in Rovaniemi are currently 20 hours a day, so the sun is still shining until well after 23:00 – keeping temperatures up for down in a shady patch in Santa Park is Adita from London, who expected to find temperatures under 20C here. "I can barely even step outside the shade, I feel like I'm on fire when I do," she says."Something similar is happening in the UK but I'm very surprised to see this at the Arctic Circle," she says. "Ice and snow is so integral to this amusement park and the whole of Lapland."Elina, an elf working in Santa's post office, also worries about the future of Lapland's winters: "I'm wondering if heatwaves are now the new normal."For Santa, there is the added problem of having to wear his heavy costume every day of the year. At the moment he only goes outdoors in the evenings once the air starts cooling down, otherwise he risks getting heatstroke in just 10 minutes."Of course a hot summer can be very nice for some but I prefer cold and snow," he says. "Winter is better."
Local Norway
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Local Norway
Public warned as forest fire alert issued for western Norway
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has upgraded the danger warning for forest fires to orange , Norway's highest level issued for fire danger. This warning is expected to remain in place until significant rainfall occurs, which may not come for days. Further inland, the danger remains at yellow level – still concerning, but less acute. "Vegetation can catch fire very easily: Do not use open flames, heed the warning that applies until Sunday," the Meteorological Institute warned. READ MORE: Norway's rules for fires and BBQs An ongoing risk The danger level was officially raised last week, with the probability of forest fires rated as likely (meaning, over 50 percent). The orange level indicates that there is a high probability of forest fires starting and a significant risk that they may grow to sizes that are difficult to manage. Large areas could be affected quickly, especially with rising temperatures, low humidity, and no rain in sight. Rapid ignition The Norwegian Meteorological Institute is clear about the potential consequences: "Vegetation can ignite very easily: Very large areas can be affected." In such dry conditions, a single spark – from a cigarette, campfire, or piece of machinery – can lead to a wildfire that spreads rapidly before firefighters can respond. Advertisement Advice to the public In response to the heightened risk, authorities are asking the public to avoid all forms of open flames and to closely follow instructions from local fire and civil protection services. Even outside of an orange warning, Norway enforces a general campfire ban from April 15th to September 15th. Open fires in or near forests, including barbecues and bonfires, are prohibited during this period unless a municipality explicitly states otherwise. EXPLAINED: What Norway's weather alerts actually mean The Norwegian warning system Forest fire warnings in Norway use a colour-coded system, primarily yellow and orange for fire danger. Red is reserved for extreme weather events with the potential for catastrophic damage and loss of life. Warnings are based on the Forest Fire Danger Index, calculated using temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind data. Advertisement This system, which has been in use since 2021, has been adapted from the Canadian Fire Weather Index and tailored to Norwegian climate conditions . The forest fire index operates on a "traffic light" model used internationally, ranging from green (safe) to red (extreme danger).
