This winter will remain mild into February due to a strong polar vortex preventing cold air from reaching Finland, while climate change is contributing to warmer winters overall.
This winter will continue to be mild well into February, according to Yle meteorologist Elias Paakkanen, who said the polar vortex circulating in the stratosphere is trapping the cold air and preventing it from reaching Finland.
"The probability of a mild winter continuing here is high," Paakkanen said.
While the polar vortex affects all of Finland, its greatest impact is over southern and central areas.
The situation this winter is not unique, however. The mild winter caused by the polar vortex is part of normal weather variation. In some winters, the vortex is stronger, while in other years, it's weaker.
The last time the polar vortex was this strong was in 2020, when the winter was exceptionally mild.
According to Paakkanen, climate change is partly contributing to winters being warmer than before.
"As the climate warms, mild winters become even milder, and cold winters warmer," he noted.
Despite the strong polar vortex, this winter has not been exceptionally mild, but rather just slightly milder than average, Paakkanen explained.
The first two weeks of January have been the frostiest so far, with the lowest temperature recorded at -38.9 degrees Celsius in Savukoski, Lapland, on 8 January.
This week the All Points North podcast went ice swimming and nature walking to find the best ways to stay active during the long Finnish winter.
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
