Finland may well see three consecutive weeks of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius on Friday, as powerful local thunderstorms are set to continue, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
The agency said rain and thunderstorms are expected in southern areas of South Karelia as well as Ostrobothnia, according to FMI meteorologist Tuukka Keränen.
The stormy conditions are expected to begin in those areas by Friday afternoon at the latest, and could continue into the night. Meanwhile, temperatures of around 25 degrees are expected in those regions.
"Locally, there may be a lot of rain, as much as tens of millimetres. The thunderstorms might be accompanied by hail and strong gusts of wind," Keränen told news agency STT.
The FMI has issued warnings for thunderstorms and heavy rain across many areas of Finland on Friday.
Hot streak
Meanwhile, Friday will be particularly warm in Finnish Lapland, Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, where temperatures may again exceed 30 degrees.
On Thursday, Finland recorded its 20th consecutive day of 30-degree Celsius temperatures.
In past years, Finland's longest stretch of 30-degree weather (13 days) occurred in 1972, according to temperature records dating back to 1961.
The summer's highest temperature was recorded in Oulu, where the mercury rose to 32.6 degrees on Thursday.
Finland's warmest conditions on Friday will likely be seen in southern Lapland, according to Yle's forecast.
At the beginning of this year, it was reported that the Nordic region's climate is warming considerably faster than the rest of the world.
Storms cause damage, power outages
Thursday saw a number of powerful thunderstorms in many areas.
In Kangasala, a town in the Pirkanmaa region, stormy weather brought down several hundred trees on Thursday night in the residential neighbourhood of Lamminrahka. Town workers began clearing fallen trees on Friday morning, an extensive effort requiring the use of heavy machinery.
Lighting strikes in North Karelia sparked nine wildfires in the region, with rescue services receiving a total of 16 calls regarding the stormy weather. Apart from the wildfires, rescue service workers also cleared trees from the road.
The storm also caused power outages for up to 2,000 customers in North Karelia.
Lightning also ignited wildfires in Kainuu. Similarly, power was cut off to around 2,000 customers in Sotkamo, Kuhmo and Paltamo.
Early on Thursday evening, the storm caused trees to fall on railroad tracks between Tampere and Parkano, disrupting traffic on the line for hours. National rail operator VR replaced affected train routes with buses while the track was cleared, a task that was completed on Thursday night.
A lightning strike set a detached house roof on fire in the South Ostrobothnian town of Kurikka on Thursday. Similarly, lightning set fire to a detached house and cottage in Rovaniemi, and a structure was set ablaze by a lightning strike in Virrat in the Pirkanmaa region.
2 Aug: Corrected spelling and location of Virrat, other details.
