It will be very cold across most of Finland over the next few days, according to Yle's forecast.
The cold temperatures already arrived in North Karelia, where it was around -30 degrees on Wednesday morning. Central areas were also chilly, at least compared with the relatively mild conditions in February.
A precipitation system prevented southern areas from getting too cold on Wednesday, but that is set to change, according to Yle meteorologist Elias Paakkanen.
"On Thursday morning, it'll be 15–25 degrees below zero in southern areas," Paakkanen said, adding that it is unclear what conditions will be like in coastal areas, due to cloud cover.
He said that temperatures in central Finland will range between minus 20 to minus 30 degrees on Thursday morning. In Kainuu, North Karelia and Oulu, it will be even chillier, with temperatures ranging from -25 to -35 degrees.
In Lapland temperatures between -20 to -30 degrees are anticipated at the beginning of the day.
However, sunny skies could make conditions a bit milder.
Over the next few days, temperatures will be the coldest on Thursday and Friday, but there may be a slight easing of the Arctic conditions over the weekend.
According to Paakkanen, there are many reasons for the extreme cold temperatures — natural variations in the weather and the polar vortex.
The polar vortex is a powerful wind system high in the stratosphere and can have huge impacts on weather conditions in Finland.
"The centre of the polar vortex has now moved a little closer to Finland, which is why the cold can reach us more easily," Paakkanen said, adding that these kinds of cold snaps can continue for quite a while.
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