As the countdown to the long Midsummer weekend begins, outbound holiday traffic is expected to gain momentum starting as early as Wednesday evening, according to Fintraffic's road traffic centre.
Thursday is projected to be the busiest day on the roads, with traffic intensifying across Southern Finland.
Traffic volumes will peak on Thursday afternoon between 3pm and 5pm, potentially causing congestion on the busiest stretches. Roads will be busy until around 7pm, while traffic will be heavy in northern Finland into the night.
On the busiest sections, speeds could temporarily drop to as low as 20-30 kilometres per hour, according to Fintraffic.
Mixed Midsummer forecasts
The Midsummer weather will likely be warm according to the forecast — but there is still a good deal of uncertainty in the air.
Yle's meteorologist Elias Paakkanen said that although it is still impossible to accurately predict, current forecasts suggest temperatures are likely to be between 15-26 degrees Celsius.
Most likely, Midsummer will feature fairly typical temperatures. Showers are expected, but there will be sunshine on Midsummer's Eve and Day in at least parts of Finland.
Paakkanen reassured that Finland has not experienced a very cold Midsummer since 2018, with at least some parts of the country experiencing warm weather since 2019. The last time it snowed in Midsummer was in 2014.
"People have the notion that there is always bad weather on Midsummer. However, the past five consecutive Midsummers have had good weather," he pointed out.
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