Officials have hit the pause button on the introduction of summer speed limits in many parts of the country.
The shift to summer speed limits was scheduled to take place mid-week in Uusimaa and Southeast Finland, but renewed snowfall changed those plans.
"The Southeast Finland transport authority confirmed that the change in speed limits will not start until Monday. We were all surprised by the severity of the winter storm," said Tuomas Österman, a road traffic management expert at the Finnish Transport Agency.
In Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme, work to change speed limit road signs was to start on Wednesday. By that morning, however, the weather conditions on the roads were such that the focus was clearing roads of snow.
The changeover to summer speed limits could have been made on Thursday, but traffic officials decided that with even more snow in the forecast, there is no rush.
The Finnish Transport Agency previously authorised the change to summer speed limits as of Wednesday on roads in Uusimaa, Southeast Finland, Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, South Ostrobothnia and South Savo.
Speed limits in South Savo will, however, remain unchanged at least until next week. In Uusimaa, the changeover will start next Monday, 8 April.
Speed limits that have been reduced to 80 km/h for the dark winter season will go back up to 100 km/h. The change to the speed limits will come into force once signs on roads have been replaced.
10 April possible date in Lapland
Cold weather is not expected to slow down the transition to summer speed limits in Lapland.
Juha Tapio, Transport System Manager at the Lapland Regional Council, says that no decision has yet been taken on the date of the changeover.
At the moment it seems that no major snowstorms are expected in the region, and it looks likely that summer speed limits will be posted there on or around 10 April.
According to Tapio, road surfaces on Lapland's major routes have thawed. However, driving weather can vary and be bad even in May.
"Drivers should remember to adjust their speed to the conditions," said Tapio.
More snow coming
Thursday's weather was sunny across the country, following a cold night in the north where temperatures dropped to -30C and more in some places.
On Friday, sunshine will give way to snow showers coming into Finland from the southwest. Southern and central parts of the country will see most of this fresh snow.
"According to the forecast, most of the snow will fall in Southwest Finland and Uusimaa, where it may snow five centimetres or more," says Yle meteorologist Elina Suorsa.
Elsewhere in the country, a few centimetres of new snow are expected. In the south of the country, temperatures will be around zero or a few degrees below zero. In the north, it will be cloudy with temperatures just below freezing on Friday.
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