Daily  Turun Sanomat  writes that demand for English-speaking early childhood education in Finland remains steady outside the Helsinki region too and that daycare centres also offer instruction in many other languages.
 Katri Mantere  from the City of Tampere says there are several private institutions offering daycare in English. “In addition, we have one English-language group in a municipal daycare centre,” she says.
 At the moment, 240 children are enrolled in English-language early years education in Tampere. “Our supply meets demand,” Mantere adds. Early years education is also available in French and German in Tampere.
 What is more, Tampere and some other cities organise so-called "language showers" or language immersion programmes, where language teacher students from local universities visit daycare centres to teach and play with children. So far, such immersion groups have been organised in English, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, French, German, Russian and Italian.
 "These events serve as a basis for the culture and language education that daycare institutions offer on their own," says  Outi Verkama ,who coordinates the project in Tampere.
 "They increase the feeling of community and participation," Verkama says.
 Meanwhile, about 600 children in Turku are enrolled in English, French, Spanish, Russian or Estonian-language early years education.
 “Most of them are in English groups,” says  Vesa Kulmala  from the City of Turku. “The number has remained quite steady over the years,” he adds.
 In Oulu, early childhood education is available in English, German and Sámi, TS writes.
 Growth to slow
 Daily  Kaleva  reports that Finland’s economic growth is forecast to slow down more than previously expected next year.
 According to the Research Institute of Finnish Economy Etla, because of its small size Finland is sensitive to fluctuations in the global economy and market sentiment, which have recently become more pessimistic.
 What happens in the UK next year will have a significant effect on Finland, Kaleva writes. Etla director  Vesa Vihriälä  says Britain will likely organise a new referendum on its relationship with the European Union. "The alternatives are either accepting PM May’s agreement, a no-deal Brexit or remaining a EU-member," Vihriälä said in a statement, according to Kaleva.
 "With some luck, the last option will gain the most votes," he added.
 Etla also foresees that the relationship between the US and China will worsen next year. Retail sales and industrial production in China have already slowed and the trade war with the US could accelerate a global downturn, Kaleva writes.
 Slick sidewalks
 Finally, tabloid  Iltalehti  warns readers that sidewalks are likely to be slippery on Friday. Temperatures will rise slightly during the day, and it will be mild and cloudy in most areas of southern and south-western Finland. As a result, frozen snow on sidewalks and above-zero temperatures will cause moisture to build up on top of icy street surfaces, IL says.
 According to  Juha Sihvonen  from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, this is "a perilous combination for pedestrians."
 Fellow tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  says pedestrians in southern Finland should choose their footwear carefully on Friday and wear spiked shoes, if possible.
 Slippery pedestrian pathways tend to show up in accident unit statistics during the winter. Figures indicate that altogether Finland sees some 16,000 different kinds of falling, slipping or stumbling every year. Roughly 11,000 of them involve pedestrians.


Stormy conditions are set to envelop Finland as residents ring in 2019, according to the latest weather forecasts. Residents of the west coast can expect gusty winds that could also strike a blow to plans to set off fireworks in the Ostrobothnia region, according to local emergency services.
 Current forecasts are for high winds on the west coast, reaching storm force in Ostrobothnia, while gusts over open seas could exceed 20 metres per second.
 Oulu-Koillismaa emergency services warned that high winds could send fireworks off course and could blow down poorly secured pyrotechnics. Meanwhile other rescue services across the country have pointed out that if conditions feel too windy it would be wisest not to set off fireworks.
 Yle meteorologist  Anne Borgström  said on Monday that just as Helsinki residents ring in the New Year, the wind will be at its fiercest, gusting up to 20 metres per second.
 Helsinki rescue services tweeted Monday morning that it would monitor the weather during the day and issue possible restrictions on fireworks use later in the day.
 Southwest Finland should also brace for high winds along with rain, sleet and snow. Emergency services in the southwest and Ostrobothnia said that they are monitoring the situation closely and will issue additional warnings on Monday.
 Wind speed to affect fireworks
 Meanwhile, officials are warning revellers to be especially careful using fireworks given the windy conditions expected, and have cautioned that pyrotechnics could veer in unexpected directions as a result.
 Ostrobothnia and southwest Finland emergency services said that if conditions worsen, it may be necessary to consider restricting their use altogether. The storm is expected to make landfall in Ostrobothnia around 8.00pm, while the revellers can begin using fireworks from 6.00pm.
 "We are now actively following how the winds are developing and we will make a decision about whether or not the weather will affect fireworks or otherwise on New Year’s Eve," said duty fire officer  Riikka Oravainen  of the Ostrobothnia rescue services.
 Consumers do not have to observe any official wind speed limits when using fireworks, but professionals do. According to the Fireworks Promotion Association, it is not considered safe for professionals to use fireworks when wind speeds exceed 14 metres per second.
 Windy and snowy across the country
 The New Year is expected to usher in windy and snowy conditions throughout the country, with the stormiest weather due on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen , the wind will reach dangerously high speeds on those days.
 Central Finland and the Kainuu region in the east could be blanketed by 30 centimetres of snow, while in the south, precipitation is likely as rain as conditions become milder. Daytime highs will range from minus five degrees Celsius in the north to around zero degrees in coastal areas.
 Edit: Updated at 11.47am to include current information from rescue officials in Lapland, the Oulu region and Helsinki as well as comments from Yle meteorologist Anne Borgström.


Winds of up to 27 metres/second are gathering in the Baltic and Sea of Bothnia, according to FMI meteorologist  Eveliina Tuovinen .
 The FMI has issued a  warning  that waves at sea may surpass seven metres in height.
 ”We may see record-breaking waves,” said Tuovien, adding that storms like this tend to occur once a year.
 Strong winds will also sweep over Finland on Tuesday night, with gusts of 20 m/s in southern and western areas.
 Up to 20 cm of snow
 On Tuesday afternoon, precipitation was coming down as rain in the south and southwest and as snow elsewhere.
 ”Ostrobothnia, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland and North Savo may see 10 to 20 centimetres of snow,” she added.
 A warning for slippery roads is in force for all of Finland, with the exception of the Uusimaa region.
 ”Snowy roads and poor visibility are making overtaking difficult, which is why we're warning motorists,” Tuovinen explained.


1. The making of the Finnish First Lady's tree-based eco dress
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An exceptionally strong winter storm has caused widespread power cuts and traffic problems across Finland.
 Authorities in the Åland Islands have requested that residents remain indoors due to strong winds.
 “We have instructed people to stay at home. Do not go out or drive,”  Johan Ehn  from Åland’s Emergency Response Centre told Yle. “Fallen trees obstruct many roads here and most of Åland is without power,” he added.
 The strongest-ever winds were recorded on the Bogskär islets in the western part of the Northern Baltic on Tuesday night. The average wind speed over a 10-minute period was 32.5 m/s while gust speeds reached as much as 41.6 m/s. A new wave height record of 7.9 meters was set in the Southern Sea of Bothnia, says the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
 Power cuts
 As many as 60,000 households were without power around Finland on Wednesday, mostly in southern and central parts of the country. The Pirkanmaa region around Tampere has been particularly hard hit, with up to 30,000 households losing electricity.
 As of mid-afternoon the national total was down to some 40,000 households.
 “This is the worst possible weather combination,” said  Heini Kuusela-Opas  from electricity company Elenia, which distributes power in Pirkanmaa. “The snow is wet and sticks to the trees, and the winds then cause the trees to fall. During the night, the conditions were so severe that we couldn’t start any repair work for safety reasons.”
 Power cuts have also caused disruptions in the mobile phone networks, Finland’s biggest operators Telia, DNA and Elisa said. DNA’s network has been affected in Ostrobothnia, Pirkanmaa, central Finland and Southern Savo, while Elisa reports disruptions in Northern Savo and Satakunta.
 Traffic trouble
 The FMI also warns that driving conditions may be potentially dangerous in Southern, Eastern and Western Finland where most of the snow is falling. According to the FMI, winds will start to die down in land areas on Wednesday afternoon, but gusty winds will continue in the Sea of Bothnia, Sea of Åland, Sea of Archipelago and the Gulf of Finland.
 Trees have fallen on rail tracks and damaged electric lines between Laihia and Vaasa in western Finland. As a result, trains to Seinäjoki are being replaced by buses. Similarly, trains have been replaced by busses between Joutseno and Muukko in southern Karelia where lines have been damaged by fallen trees. On Wednesday, most long-distance trains were experiencing delays of between 20 and 85 minutes.
 Meanwhile, ferries between Finland and Sweden were unable to call at the port of Mariehamn in the Åland Islands on Tuesday night, and are unlikely to do so through Wednesday.


A winter storm brought frigid temperatures of -32.2 degrees Celsius (-26 F) to Finnish Lapland early Thursday morning. The Finnish Meteorological Institute recorded the freeze in the Naruska district of Salla, located in the eastern part of Finnish Lapland.
 The previous record for this winter season, -30.2 degrees Celsius, was measured shortly before the Christmas holidays on 23 December in the more central Lapland municipality of Sodankylä.
 Weather conditions will be mostly clear and dry for the rest of the day on Thursday, although a new front of clouds will move in from the southwest in the evening, Yle meteorologist  Joonas Koskela  said.
 Temperatures in central areas will be between -15 and -20 degrees Celsius, with between -10 and -15 forecast for the southern part of the country. New snow will start falling on western parts of Lapland by the afternoon on Thursday, bringing stronger winds. By the evening, western areas farther south will also receive more snow.
 On Friday, temperatures are expected to rise back up to near the freezing point, with more snow predicted for southern and central Finland. Temperatures on Friday will be slightly colder in the east and north, at between -5 and -10.


Snow, freezing rain and cold temperatures in the south and southeast of Finland will make roads very slippery on Tuesday evening and Wednesday's morning commute.
 According to Yle meteorologist Matti Huutonen, driving conditions in the region will be bad or very bad due to the wintery mess.
 The southern snow will continue into Wednesday morning, which could cause problems for drivers.
 Daytime high temperatures will be below freezing on Wednesday in most southern areas. Around the southern coast it will be between zero and -4 degrees Celsius, and between zero and -2 degrees on the southwest coast.
 In southeast Finland, temperatures of -2 to -5 degrees are expected on Wednesday, while the high temperature in central areas will be around -6 degrees. It will be significantly colder farther north, in Finnish Lapland, which will feature temperatures ranging from -12 to -17 degrees Celsius.
 Chilling weather Thursday
 The southern half of the country will chill down quite a bit on Thursday, due to a low pressure system over Lapland, according to Huutonen.
 Daytime high temperatures of -8 degrees are expected in the south on Thursday, and around -10 degrees in central areas, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
 The far east of Finland will hover around -11 degrees.
 But up north in Finnish Lapland temperatures will likely get a bit milder on Thursday, compared to Wednesday's forecast, featuring daytime high temperatures between -7 to -11 degrees Celsius.


Tuesday night saw a weather system dump heavy snow over much of Finland. While conditions had cleared in many areas Wednesday morning, motorists in the south and southeast still had to contend with local snow flurries and freezing drizzles, which  created dangerous driving conditions .
 Yle meteorologist  Seija Paasonen  said that Tuesday night had seen heavy snowfall in many parts of Helsinki. "In 12 hours the biggest deposits were in Helsinki's Kaisaniemi district. By 7.00 this morning there had been 13 centimetres," she added.
 Paasonen noted that there had been about 10 cm of snowfall throughout the Uusimaa region in southern Finland, while places such as Southwest Finland, Kymenlaakso in the southeast and southern Karelia in the east had seen between four and six centimetres of precipitation overnight. However there was considerably less snowfall in the region north of the Salpausselkä ridge.
 Meanwhile traffic officials in Tampere said that the heavy snowfall had snarled traffic during morning drive time. The local traffic centre reported a number of fender benders and cars running off roads, especially on Highway Three, the main artery into the area. Many lorries also reportedly got stuck in the heavy snow.
 Story continues after graphic.
 Yle Weather
 Paasonen said that conditions in the days ahead will be variable, with temperatures sinking below zero, even in the south.
 "The next low pressure zone will arrive in Finland on Thursday and on Friday we can expect a mild period, after which it will be much colder."
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI has issued warnings for poor driving conditions throughout the south of the country.
 Edited at 13:50, 9 January 2019 to reflect there were road accidents on Highway Three.


Dozens of upper secondary school students in the capital region are likely to be absent from school on Friday, writes daily  Helsingin Sanomat , as many of them head to central Helsinki to demonstrate about climate change.
 For example, a group of students at a Kauniainen school will participate in the so-called climate strike to demand more action from decision-makers and business leaders.
 “I’m not allowed to vote, so I’m trying to make a difference in this way,” says 17-year-old  Cecilia Andersin  from Gymnasiet Grankulla samskolan – a Swedish-language upper secondary school in Kauniainen.
 A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published late last year says immediate and major action will be needed to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C.
 ”The report makes for a discouraging reading, but we cannot become despondent. We need to act for our future and the future of our grandchildren,” says student  Emilia Hanhirova , 19.
 A protest, which will take place in front of Parliament, has attracted a fair amount of interest on Facebook, says HS.
 The Kauniainen school does not support the strike. “It’s good that young people are active, but a strike is not the right means to have an impact. A strike will have a negative effect on school work, which is not the students’ intention either,” says  Niklas Wahlström , principal at the Kauniainen school.
 “Attending the protest on Friday will be considered an unauthorised absence,” he adds.
 ”Climate and environment are issues that apply to everyone. Having interest in them should not make one an activist,” says Hanhirova, who participated in the climate march in Helsinki at the end of October.
 The climate strike is inspired by a similar event that has been going on each Friday in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm since last autumn. It was started by 15-year-old  Greta Thunberg , who addressed the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, last month.
 Avalanche risk
 In other environmental news, tabloid  Iltalehti  writes that climate change has increased the risk of avalanches in Finland.
 “There used to be between one and three avalanches in the Ylläs region per year. But their number has risen in the past years. What’s more, tourism has really picked up so more people are at risk, especially those who do off-piste skiing,” says  Tuomo Poukkanen , Ski Resort Director at Ylläs in Kolari, 160 km north of Rovaniemi.
 Climate change is to blame for this increase, says climate researcher  Markku Kulmala , but not just rising temperatures but also more extreme weather conditions.
 "The amount of precipitation has increased and rains are more intense. A large quantity of snow may fall in a short period of time, which increases the risk of avalanches," he says.
 Poukkanen agrees. ”As weather and temperature change suddenly, layers develop within snow. Some of these layers are weak, and will remain there for the whole winter season.”
 Nevertheless, the risk of an avalanche remains much smaller in Finland than in Norway, for example, because of the different terrain, Iltalehti says.
 Last week, four off-piste skiers, three of them Finnish, went missing in northern Norway and  are now presumed dead , buried under an avalanche.
 Liquorice pipe rules
 The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health believes that regulating pipe-shaped liquorice sweets will have a positive effect on Finns’ health, reports daily  Maaseudun Tulevaisuus .
 “According to the WHO, items resembling tobacco products should be regulated in a way that does not further the sale of tobacco products,” says ministerial adviser  Meri Paavola  from the ministry.
 Timo Nisula  – the owner of liquorice factory Kouvolan Lakritsi –  said on Monday  he’s appalled that grocery stores are banned from paying bonuses to customers who buy liquorice pipes, similarly to real tobacco products, MT reports.
 “Nobody in the ministry can seriously believe that selling liquorice pipes increases pipe smoking among young people. Finland has a few war veterans who still smoke a pipe. If the ministry bans our liquorice pipes, we will start to call them saxophones or sea horses. That will make the ministry happy,” Nisula said.
 Paavola says liquorice pipes fall into the same category as flavoured e-cigarettes. “I believe that regulating imitation tobacco products truly makes a difference,” she said.


A group of upper secondary school students, mainly from Swedish-speaking schools in the Helsinki region gathered on the steps of the Finnish parliament Friday to call for action to combat climate change.
 "Take action!" and "Save the planet!" read some of the placards on display.
 The young adults launched the protest to call for politicians and business leaders to make environmentally-friendly choices.
 Young people also presented a list of demands to lawmakers. Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
 Axel Broman from the Grankulla Gymnasium in Kauniainen, Espoo said that more decisions need to take the climate into account.
 "It’s true that decision-makers are doing something about it, but more needs to be done. These decisions need to be made now, we can’t wait any longer. We need to be braver. And this demonstration shows that we too want to make difficult decisions," he said, adding that young people are pioneers in this regard.
 "This is our future so sometimes we care more than the adults themselves," he charged.
 Calls for a climate tax, a change in habits
 Veronica Winqvist of Gymnasiet Lärkan in Helsinki agreed that leaders are not doing enough.
 "I believe that we should invest more in renewable energy and introduce new laws. We should introduce a climate tax for items that generate a lot of carbon dioxide emissions," she declared.
 "I think that decision-makers haven’t done enough about this. There is a lot that still needs to be done and that’s why we are here," said Veronica’s schoolmate Marcus Schramko.
 “It’s now or never,” one student said. Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
 Meanwhile Alvar Winqvist of the same school said that he was worried about climate change.
 "Some work has been done to curb climate change but it hasn’t been enough. It [warming of the climate] should be limited to 1.5 degrees," he noted.
 "One of the most effective methods would be to have some kind of emissions levy so we could really tax the things that pollute. This would be a natural way to ensure the entire society is more climate friendly," he added.
 The young protesters also presented a joint list of demands with questions that lawmakers had the opportunity to answer.
 "We still have to live here for another 50 years"
 Livia Wikström and Jenina Nyström of Töölö Gymnasium held up signs reminding onlookers that young people’s future is at stake.
 Both said there was no question that they would join the demonstration.
 "We all need to do something otherwise nothing will happen. Soon it will be too late. It’s now or never," Wikström said.
 "If we do nothing then nothing will change. We still have to live here for another 50 years or more. Maybe we can reduce airline travel, we can cycle instead of driving, or we can eat less meat and buy recycled clothing."


Locals in Lappeenranta in southeast Finland formally opened the city's snow church, otherwise known as the Church of St. Lawrence on Sunday, 13 January. It will offer services three times a week.
 "'Snowflake' devotions will last 20 minutes on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. We have sometimes had mass in the snow church," said local vicar  Juha Eklund .
 So far no one has exchanged wedding vows in the chapel, although it is possible to do so and the parish has offered the service. However anyone who fancies the idea of a fairy-tale wedding in the frosty house of worship will have to hurry. By March the sun’s rays will render the structure unusable.
 An eight-year tradition
 This winter marks the eighth year that members of the community have volunteered to build the church. In that time they have honed their skills using snow as construction material.
 As a result two of the walls are about 60 centimetres thick, while the other two walls are ten centimetres thinner.
 "This way the January sun is not a problem, but in March it will warm and melt the walls more on those sides, that’s why we make them thicker," Eklund explained.
 Story continues after photo.
 Installing the metre-high windows. Petri Kivimäki / Yle
 Clean, dry frosty snow works best for building as its quality is uniform and it has no lumps. Two tractors are used to bring fresh snow to the building site from an ice skating rink at Lappeenranta’s Vanha field a few kilometres away.
 The construction team comprised a core team of 10 people who have put the church together each year. They managed to erect the walls – just shy of three metres tall – in about four hours.
 Interior work focused on elements such as a large snow altar. Windows are made of ice that comes from an ice machine to ensure there are no bubbles or impurities. The window elements are one metre high, half-a-metre wide and 25 centimetres thick.
 Story continues after photo.
 Vesa Toivanen checks his handiwork with a spirit level. Petri Kivimäki / Yle
 “We saw them in half so each window is about 12 centimetres thick,” said ice craftsman  Kimmo Frosti.
 The church is located in the centre of Lappeenranta next to an historic fort. Centuries ago another church occupied the site, but was prone to lightning strikes because of the high ground.
 In fact a lightning strike in 1790 caused the old church to burn to the ground, after which the site was abandoned. The snow church can be said to be a memorial to the original that was destroyed by the forces of nature.


Southern Finland will receive at least 10cm of new snow by Thursday morning, predicts Yle meteorologist  Joonas Koskela . He recommends allowing plenty of extra time for travel on Thursday. A low pressure system will move swiftly over southern regions, bringing strong winds and blizzard conditions.
 Snowfall will begin along the south-western coast on Wednesday evening, possibly coming down as sleet in some areas.
 “The whole south coast should get 15-20cm of fresh snow. By Thursday morning’s rush hour we’ll have around 10 cm,” Koskela says.
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute warns of extremely poor driving conditions in southern Finland beginning in the wee hours of Thursday. Roads may also be slippery in parts of central Finland.
 By Thursday evening, the belt of snow will move over south-eastern and eastern Finland before disappearing. According to Koskela, Friday will be a normal cold winter day.


Outdoorsy folk who plan to enjoy the wintry scenery and fresh air are being advised to brace for glacial conditions as the weekend approaches.
 A low pressure zone that hovered over Finland during the middle of the week has drifted towards Russia, leaving cold and crisp conditions in its wake. However some flurries are still possible on the southwest coast and in the Åland Islands on Friday.
 "The temperature range will be between -10 and -20 degrees Celsius. Lapland will be coldest and coastal areas will be mildest," said Yle meteorologist  Toni Hellinen.
 In fact the mercury will fall to its lowest point for the week so far on Friday night in the south and west.
 On Saturday another low pressure front will waft in from the northwest to the west coast, causing some afternoon snowfall, while skies may clear from time to time. The snow front may move toward southern and western Finland during Saturday evening and Sunday night.
 "Between five and 10 centimetres of light dry snow will pile up in some areas," Hellinen added.
 Sunday will be the coldest and clearest day of the weekend, with lows reaching -30 degrees Celsius in Lapland.


Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen  says that Finland will tumble into the deep freeze over the next few days. Temperatures may approach -30 degrees Celsius in the south and close to -40 in Finnish Lapland. On Saturday, brisk winds will make the cold potentially dangerous in southern and central areas.
 "It means that we may face electricity blackouts. There is now a lot of frozen snow on tree branches and the wind may push them onto power lines. There have already been some outages in central Finland," Huutonen said on Friday afternoon.
 The wind will also bring severe wind chill. For instance southern daytime readings of -10 will feel more like -20 degrees, he said.
 Health problems for risk groups
 On Saturday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has issued an advisory of poor road conditions in the south-east because of snow. For Sunday and Monday, there is a severe cold warning for the entire country, from Lapland to the Åland Islands.
 "Cold weather may cause health problems for groups at risk," says the FMI, noting that "cold stress complicates outdoor activities" and that "people with chronic illnesses will experience more symptoms than usual".
 Huutonen predicts that Sunday and early Monday will bring the sharpest cold, possibly breaking this winter's cold record of -36.6 degrees measured in Salla, Lapland, this past Monday.
 "Temperatures will drop throughout the country as colder air streams in from the north and east. It's possible that we may get readings of -20 or even -30 in some parts of the south. But I don't believe we'll break the -40 degree mark, even in Lapland," he said.
 "But it will be cold, cold, cold. There will definitely be a spike in electricity consumption," Huutonen added.
 Monday will still be frigid, but Jack Frost will loosen his grip by midweek.
 On Tuesday and Wednesday, daytime temperatures in southern Finland may be as mild as -1 or -2, the meteorologist predicts.


The coldest place in Finland is currently the city of Sodankylä in Arctic Lapland, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
 Meteorologists measured several new records in a row for the winter season 2018-2019 over the weekend. The mercury fell to -36.7 degrees Celsius in Kuusamo around 10 pm, falling past -37 degrees before midnight and finally reaching -38.7 degrees in Sodankylä around 5 am.
 FMI meteorologist  Ari-Juhani Punkka  said the bone-chilling frost is brought on by an Arctic air mass moving through northern and eastern Finland.
 "When you have lots of snow, an Arctic air mass and clear skies, you get biting temperatures," Punkka explained. "East of the Ural Mountains conditions are even more severe and temperatures are colder. We're getting some of that cold now."
 Punkka said that the mass of air currently freezing large parts of the country is the coldest such front currently active within Europe. Subzero figures nearing -40 degrees Celsius are common wintertime lows in Finland.
 "The last time we went under -40 degrees was as recently as 2017," Punkka said.
 Icy cold in store until Monday
 The coldest temperature ever measured in Finland is from 1999, when the FMI reported a record low of -51.5 degrees Celsius in Kittilä, also in Lapland.
 Weather reports predict freezing conditions from Sunday to Monday morning. Meteorologists said that the cold may not sting too harshly as hard winds are not expected. Temperatures may also fall between -20 to -30 degrees Celsius in the south.
 Over Monday the chill is set to subside somewhat, though temperatures in Arctic Finland will likely remain at some -20 degrees Celsius.


The tabloid  Iltalehti  today reminds readers that even the ancient Finns knew how to complain about the weather. Instead of fancy graphics and complex explanations, they attributed the weather to the work of supernatural spirits. "Puhuri" was the spirit of biting winds, of the cold and of winter. Today, the paper says, we are seeing "Puhuri weather".
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued four different warnings. There is an extreme cold warning for the whole of the country. Most coastal areas have frozen sea warnings. There are high wind warnings in the Gulf of Finland, and a warning of hazardous driving conditions in the west and south, as well as very hazardous condition in the southwest.
 Tuesday may see "chaos" on the roads, writes Iltalehti, as a snow storm is expected to sweep across most of the country on Monday night and Tuesday. By Wednesday, southern areas are forecast to have 10-20cm of new snow accumulation, with winds piling up deep snow drifts.
 The paper notes that the Meteorological Institute is reminding drivers to keep a safe assured distance in traffic and to use their fog lights. It might be a good idea to delay any non-essential road travel until the weather improves. If that's not possible, Iltalehti advises packing extra warm clothes, food and drink while travelling. Above all, it writes, reserve lots of time to get wherever you are going.
 What the kids want
 The Kuopio-based Savon Sanomat is among the papers today that carries  an item about a survey  that asked 13-15 year-old school children what they consider to be the most important social or political issues as Finland approaches elections to a new parliament.
 The poll, commissioned by the Finnish Newspapers Association, found that the biggest concern in this age group is climate and environmental protection. They say that this is what they hope that MPs and the government will focus on. They also want politicians to give more attention to developing schools and reducing social inequalities.
 The majority said that they would like to have a chance to influence these issues.
 The march of English
 The daily Helsingin Sanomat reports that researchers are surprised by how much the use of  English has become a part of the daily life  of Swedish-speaking teens in Finland.
 Quoting a study by the Magman think tank, the paper says that a quarter of teens whose mother tongue is Swedish use a significant amount of English regularly outside the home.
 Jenny Stenberg-Sirén , a researcher for Magman, told the Helsingin Sanomat that while there is regional variation, it was surprising that overall, Swedish-speaking teens use very little Finnish with friends, in their hobbies or at school. Online, the use of English is even more striking. Of the 800 teens interviewed, 47% said they primarily use English online, 40% Swedish and only 10% Finnish.
 "They live as Swedish speakers, even though there is lots of talk that Swedish-speaking Finns consistently speak Finnish, and that Swedish-language skills are on the decline," says Stenberg-Sirén.
 Asked whether or not many young Finnish and Swedish speakers use English together, rather than one of the national languages, Stenberg-Sirén point out that it probably depends a lot on where they live. "In the Helsinki region, people assume that Swedish-speakers also speak Finnish. But if someone does not speak it well, then what language do you choose to use?"
 The popularity of English among these teens may in part be explained by the feeling that one doesn't have to speak it as well as Finnish. It is "permissible" to pause or make mistakes. The same goes for Finnish-speakers who don't feel fully competent in Swedish. Using English, says Stenberg-Sirén, may be more relaxed on both sides.
 PM's aborted house offer
 In 2015, Centrist Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä  made headlines here, and abroad, with  an announcement that he would open his home  in Kempele, just outside of Oulu, to a family of refugees.
 The offer was later withdrawn, on the advice of security officials.
 Oulu's Kaleva is one of the dailies that picked up  fresh comments on the affair  made by Sipilä in an Yle radio broadcast on Sunday.
 Sipilä said that the intention was that a family which had suffered persecution in their home country would have moved into the house. He described them as Christians from a majority Islamic country who had been persecuted for helping western development aid workers. He did not state what country.
 Arrangements for the family to move into Sipilä's house were never completed, as security officials felt that they would have faced a dangerously high level of hostility.
 "We could not have imagined that the atmosphere would have become so bad that a family with children who found asylum here would have to fear for their lives," Sipilä told reporters. "Fortunately, that family is now safe elsewhere."
 At the time, Sipilä's decision to take asylum seekers into his home aroused harsh criticism from anti-immigration quarters which claimed that the move would boost the number of people seeking asylum in Finland. There were also protests held near his house and incidents of rocks and fireworks thrown at local refugee centres.
 Prime Minister Sipilä has rejected all criticism of his decision at the time. On Sunday, he condemned criminal actions by some asylum seekers, but stated that he stands for the defense of human dignity and basic rights.


Months of bone-chilling temperatures have turned much of the Bay of Bothnia into thick slabs of ice. Finnish icebreaker  Sisu  is now headed toward the region, and according to the ship's chief officer  Patrik Barck , it seems like there will be a lot of ice to deal with this winter.
 Sisu is the fifth icebreaker sent out so far this season, which is early compared to last year, when the fifth icebreaker was deployed some two weeks later on 10 February.
 In 2017, ice levels on most of Finland's seas were  very low , as well.
 Yle caught up with Barck as he and the large icebreaker assisted a cargo ship navigate through the icy waters of Inkoo on the south coast on Sunday.
 "The ice arrived early this year. We're about two weeks ahead of schedule," Barck said.
 Sisu is headed north to the Bay of Bothnia where the ice is increasingly building up.
 On Monday evening, the beige and black icebreaker is scheduled to begin assisting vessels to port and carving out paths in frozen waters off the coasts of Jakobstad (Finnish name  Pietarsaari ) and Kokkola.
 Entire bay likely to freeze over
 "The ice is increasing all the time and we expect that all of the Bay will be covered in ice this year," he said.
 At the moment, however, the situation is fairly calm. Usually there's more ice on the Finnish side of the Bay, but this winter winds from the east have led to increased accumulation of ice on the Swedish side.
 Story continues after photo.
 File photo of icebreaker Fennica at work.  Arctia
 Wind poses the biggest challenge to icebreakers like Sisu. On the Finnish side of the Bothnian Bay the thickness of the ice rarely grows more than a meter deep, but if it's very windy, the ice can build up significantly.
 "Those ice walls can grow to be 10 metres or up to 20 metres of thick ice. That [kind of situation] always causes problems to assist boats," Barck said.
 In ideal weather conditions around seven or eight ships can be escorted through the freezing waters by icebreakers, but Barck said that winter storms have become increasingly common in recent years.
 "That means more work for us. The ships are unable to move [in poor conditions] using their own engines, so we have to tow them through the ice walls," he said.
 The next land call Sisu is scheduled to make is in about a week, on 4 February, in order to change crew and load up supplies. But it will be a good while before the icebreaker returns to its home harbour in Helsinki.
 "I reckon we'll head back south after 1 May. Normally the first icebreakers head north in November and December and the last ones return in May or June," Barck said.


Under-staffing was  central to the business model at the Esperi Care chain  of elder care homes rather than a problem that management struggled with, daily Helsingin Sanomat reports on Wednesday. Reporter  Tiina Rajamäki  sat down with two former managers to talk about the firm's practices after  reports of widespread negligence  at its facilities dominated headlines this week.
 Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to non-disclosure agreements they had signed. One ex-manager of a facility in western Finland said that Esperi Care senior management ordered them to systematically reduce nurses' working hours on shift rota by five percent, although the company had pledged to provide 100 percent staffing in its supplier agreement with the local municipality.
 Another Esperi Care alumnus who worked in the capital region claimed that in a job interview, ex-CEO  Marja Aarnio-Isohanni  outlined a number of measures to save on personnel spending. The goal was to first start by cutting costs on cleaning, then on food and finally on elder care. The guidance provided to supervisors was to hire substitutes to allow nurses to work during a two-hour morning peak time, go home, and then return to work for another peak period during the evening.
 Moreover, they were encouraged to favour non-Finnish-speaking substitutes since they were less likely than native Finns to be as familiar with labour laws. The former head of the western Finland unit said that as a result, they ended up with "nurses who wouldn't find work elsewhere."
  Sidewalk injuries triple
 With snowy conditions set to continue into next week, tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that the slick,  slippery weather is putting more people than usual in hospital  with weather-related injuries.  Mika Paavola , medical chief of staff at Helsinki's Töölö hospital, said that cases of broken wrists, collar bones and ankles have tripled this winter.
 "We have had heavy loads for several weeks. Many people who've slipped and those who've been hurt otherwise have come to the hospital," he told IS. The physician said that there has been a shortage of personnel, especially in operating theatres as well as on wards. At the same time, patients have faced longer queues to see a doctor and get a diagnosis.
 He noted that the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district, HUS, is currently cooperating with the Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI, to be better able to prepare for weather-related injuries. Paavola warned pedestrians to exercise care as weather conditions become milder next week.
 Rape conviction overturned
 Tabloid Iltalehti reports on a case in which  an appeal court overturned rape charges  against a young Turku man after determining that the defendant and his accuser had been in a relationship and that there was insufficient evidence to convict the 20-year-old charged with the crimes.
 Altogether the appeal court dismissed four rape charges and a five-month suspended sentence imposed by the Southern Karelia district court. He was also ordered to pay a total of just over 3,500 euros in costs and damages. The appellate court referenced a precedent case decided by the Supreme Court, which ruled that a victim's "truthful and convincing account also needs to be supported by indirect [independent] evidence to ensure accuracy."
 The Eastern Finland appeal court said that it was indisputable that at the time that the alleged deeds had been committed in 2016, the pair had been in a relationship and that they had been intimate. It also described the accounts of both accuser and defendant as credible and for the most part consistent. However the court ruled that there was doubt regarding the defendant's guilt and it dismissed the charges. The 21-year-old man was freed and was also relieved of any obligation to pay costs and damages.


Finland's weather will turn milder on Thursday, with more snow and sleet in store for this weekend.
 Snow continues through nearly all of the country on Wednesday, except on the Åland Islands where it has turned to rain. Precipitation will drift away from southern and western Finland during the day.
 By afternoon the precipitation will be mostly limited to eastern and northern Finland. There may be some breaks in the cloud cover in the west, with a few lingering flurries, says Finnish Meteorological Institute meteorologist  Ari Mustala .
 Driving conditions remain poor on Wednesday from southern Finland through northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, and up to Sodankylä in Finnish Lapland. The FMI warns of very bad road conditions in Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso and southern Karelia due to snowy surfaces and blowing snow.
 Meanwhile state rail operator VR says that more than a dozen trains are running late on Wednesday. Most delays range between 25 and 35 minutes, but a train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle was nearly an hour and a half behind schedule. A morning train from Joensuu to Pieksämäki was replaced by buses between Heinävesi and Pieksämäki because of a freight train breakdown on that track segment. For the latest delays, visit VR's  Traffic Info page .
 The HSL mass transit system in the capital region has also announced an array of delays and cancellations on Wednesday. About 20 commuter train departures, including some between Helsinki and the airport, have been cancelled. Meanwhile half a dozen bus departures, mostly in Espoo and eastern Helsinki, have been scratched due to blocked roads and other problems. Details are listed on the  HSL site .
 Above zero on Sunday?
 A major low-pressure area over the Baltic Sea is moving slowly toward the White Sea in north-west Russia.
 Compared to the near-constant barrage of snow earlier in the week, Wednesday brings brighter conditions with diminishing precipitation in all areas. There is now at least 25 cm of snow on the ground throughout mainland Finland, with 50 to 60 cm in broad swaths of the south, east and north – the deepest being in the far east.
 Temperatures are set to rise to just under the freezing point in southern parts. In central Finland and most of Lapland the mercury will hover between -5 and -10 degrees. It will however be much colder in the far north-western arm, remaining around -20.
 Little precipitation is expected on Thursday, but the snow returns on Friday evening and early Saturday in the south and west, followed by more snow, sleet and rain on Sunday – when temperatures may rise above freezing in southernmost Finland, likely bringing more messy road conditions.
 12.06: VR & HSL delay information updated.


A new low-pressure front will start crossing into Finland late Saturday night, bringing between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow to southern and central areas on Sunday.
 The snowfall will not extend north into Finnish Lapland until Monday, while frigid temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius there are predicted to continue. Temperatures will be much warmer in the south, where the mercury may even rise above the freezing point at times.
 During the snowfall in the lower parts of the country, Yle meteorologists  Henri Nyman  and  Matti Huutonen  say winds could gust at close to 15 meters per second at their strongest.
 "In other words, the snow is going to blow around and create drifts. The storm could be the worst we've seen this winter, especially if it continues into Monday," they say.
 Hazardous conditions for planes, trains and automobiles
 They say the blustery conditions will create dangerous traffic conditions in all of the areas affected and choppy waters at sea. Even though the worst of the snowfall will likely take place overnight, the weather experts predict that the new snow cover may cause problems for road, railway and even air traffic in the next few days.
 The added snow may cause other safety concerns, too, as many trees branches in the central areas of Finland in particular are already carrying heavy snow burdens. Hard winds and even more weight could mean that some trees and branches start falling, cutting power lines and potentially causing serious damage.
 Yet another round of snow may be heading towards Finland on Monday as well. If it does arrive, Yle meterologist  Joonas Koskela  says it will dump the most snow in southeastern areas. He warns that driving conditions in this part of Finland will be very bad on Monday.


Road conditions in southern and central Finland are very hazardous this Sunday due to new heavy snowfall. Over 11 centimetres of new snow fell on Helsinki and Espoo overnight, for example.
 High winds with blowing snow continue to hamper visibility in areas, and have helped to form large drifts that maintenance crews are working overtime to remove.
 "Some smaller roads may be blocked altogether. Many cars are stuck," says  Kirsi Salokanto , a traffic officer with Traffic Management Finland.
 Although ploughs and front-end loaders are out in force, the authorities ask that motorists who must venture out into traffic reserve extra time and exercise caution.
 Helsinki's Rescue Services unit also warns pedestrians about snow and ice that might fall from rooftops in the city. It advises people on the pavement to avoid walking in potentially dangerous areas, and reminds property managers to remove snow and ice that could pose a hazard at once.
 Delays at airports and train stations
 Airport operator Finavia has released a bulletin saying that the "challenging snow conditions" may cause delays. Several flights at the Helsinki Airport have been behind schedule Sunday morning, despite the famous snow clean-up team there doing its best to keep the runways open.
 At least five long-distance trains were delayed on Sunday morning, as the train operator VR also warned ticketholders about possible timetables changes. Commuter N-train routes have been cut back to enable snow removal work on the tracks.
 Newspaper deliveries have also been interrupted in the capital city area, according to some reports.
 The latest snowfall has not caused any major power outages in Finland so far. Just over 2,500 homes and businesses were reported without electricity in 39 central and southern municipalities as of around noon.
 The snowfall is expected to continue through the day on Sunday, and more snow is in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday, in southeast and central areas in particular.


Rarely does a single domestic event cause such an outpouring of reports and commentary as has  the passing of ski jumping legend , later entertainer and staple of tabloid headlines,  Matti Nykänen .
 Many papers on Tuesday carried dozens of items about Nykänen, reviewing his  accomplishments and his personal tragedies .
 Iltalehti, among them, wrote that  a sense of sorrow at the news  of Nykänen's death stopped the Finns in their tracks. The paper described him as being in many ways an exceptional Finn, both as an athlete and as a private individual.
 The five-time Olympic medal winner became, in this paper's words, "the whole nation's Matti".
 "Nykänen's death is naturally a huge shock and a loss to his family and friends, but the loss of this athlete, who rose to the status of national hero, brought the whole of Finland together on Monday and had masses of people remembering him, the greatest ski jumper of all time."
 Taxing the lottery
 A Finance Ministry  report published on Monday  stated that Finland's next government will need to find an extra two billion euros by 2023 in order to ensure fiscal sustainability. The alternatives are the standard ones - spending cuts or tax rises.
 In a bylined column in the economic and business daily  Kauppalehti , the paper's news chief  Mikko Metsämäki  suggests that the next government could find a big chunk of that money by taxing winners of the national lottery.
 This week, the first prize in the lottery is a record 15.5 million euros, money paid out tax-free to the winner, or winners.
 Veikkaus, which runs the lottery, does pay a nominal 10 percent tax on the pots it gives out, but if wins were taxed at, say 30 percent, that would bring an extra half a billion euros into state coffers annually.
 Metsämäki has made the same suggestion in the past. At that time the Finance Ministry commented that technically, taxing lottery wins would be easy, but it would require a political decision and a change in the ideology of state-sponsored gambling.
 On the political aspects, he says somewhat tongue in cheek, that the Conservative's position is that work must always be profitable, but winning the lottery should be even more profitable; the Social Democrats want more money for elder care, as long as it doesn't come from lottery winners; the Centre sees the lottery as the last hope in many rural communities, so it can't be touched.
 On a more serious note, Metsämäki says that the consensus among all the political parties is that it is more important to impose a punitive "solidarity tax" on anyone earning more than 70,000 a year than it is to bolt the door to the country's own domestic tax haven.
 Record cold and rail cancellations
 A new record low temperature for this winter was recording at Utsjoki in the far north of Finnish Lapland overnight when the thermometer briefly dropped to -39.1C.
 Ilta-Sanomat  reports that the Finnish Metrological Institute said that the temperature soon then rose slightly as some low cloud cover moved into the area.
 The all-time low temperature in Finland was seen in January 1999 when a bone-chilling -51.5C was recorded in Lapland at Kittilä.
 Snow and cold are responsible for rail traffic disruptions and a string of cancellations by the state railways VR.
 Turun Sanomat  reports that VR is blaming what it describes as "challenging weather conditions". Low temperatures and deep accumulation of snow has put a strain on both rolling stock and track infrastructure.
 Although VR has targeted keeping 95 percent of long-distance trains in operation, engines and cars are in need of thawing and maintenance.
 According to a media release from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Helsinki had a greater accumulation of snow last month than as ever been measured for a January. Cold and snow have jammed rail switches that have to then be cleared by hand.
 A listing of cancellations planned for this week in English can be found  here .
 Great free exercise?
 On the subject of cancellations, this could be the time of the year to cancel your gym membership and grab a snow shovel instead.
 Tampere's Aamulehti  takes up the question of whether or not shovelling snow is good for you. To answer that, the paper spoke with exercise physiologist and sports planner  Katriina Ojala  of the UKK Institute Centre for Health Promotion Research.
 Ojala pointed out that to be effective, exercise should be regular. Since snow shovelling is a seasonal activity and not usually done every day, it doesn't stack up against many other routines.
 That's not to say it isn't good for you though. "When you work at it efficiently, you get a workout for leg and arm muscles and your pulse rises. The heavier the snow, the more muscle work it takes. People who are not in good physical shape get the most health benefits."
 There are risks. The cold poses a risk to people with heart problems or asthma. Posture is important to prevent back injuries.
 Ojala's advice is to approach it much like any sport.
 "Lots of people shovel snow too fast. Just as before any exercise activity, remember to do some warm up before you start."


Daily  Helsingin Sanomat  writes about the difficulties that the government’s flagship reform on social and health care services (sote) is facing and the possible effects that a failure to pass the laws may cause.
 The Constitutional Law Committee is dealing with the reform now, but time is running out, HS says, as the current parliamentary term will end in four weeks. It is therefore increasingly looking like the laws will not passed during this government and that the reform will “fall forward.” That means that the processes that have been initiated on regional level to introduce sote will continue even without a wholesale law reform, HS writes.
 While on the administrative side municipalities may change the way they provide services, the visible effects on patients and clients are likely to remain minor.
 Tarja Myllärinen  from the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities says municipalities are likely to cooperate more. “All regions have discussed the different options, even though they may not have been very vocal about it.”
 Regardless of what happens to sote, the peripheral regions of Finland will suffer as the population ages while big cities will survive, says  Markus Sovala  from Uusimaa Regional Council. “When the money runs out, it will be difficult to make decisions.”
 Nonetheless, any disorder that may result from the postponement of sote will mostly impact administration. “This is not Naples where rubbish piles up on the streets for half a year,” Sovala adds.
 Risky level crossings
 Meanwhile, some level crossings in Finland are so dangerous that going across them is like playing Russian roulette, says  tabloid Ilta-Sanomat . Despite  a fatal crash in Raseborg  in 2017, there are multiple level crossings still in use where visibility remains very poor but safety has not been improved, IS writes. One of them is the Simonen crossing near Seinäjoki in Western Finland.
 “Even if they do everything right, people venturing to these crossings do not have total certainty that they are not going to be hit by a train. And they don't even know they are playing with their lives,” says  Hannamari Helke  from the Safety Investigation Authority.
 Dangerous crossings are a remnant from the past, when trains were slower and the conductors had more time to react to drivers, IS writes. As speed limits for trains have risen, so have problems in the level crossings. “It’s not legal to build level crossings like this anymore, but for some reason, Finnish law does not require the existing ones to be fixed,” Helke says.
 According to her, people in Finland are used to society taking care of their safety, which makes these risky crossings even more dangerous. “Closing the crossings would mean that drivers must take a detour. But that is better than dying," Helke adds.
 Spring's on its way
 Tabloid Iltalehti  reports that Finland is experiencing a February heat wave. On Thursday night, temperature in Rauma, southwestern Finland, climbed to 8.4 degrees – a 60-year record for this time of the year.
 Weather for the weekend is looking to be balmy, with plenty of sunshine across the country and temperatures between four and seven degrees in southern and central Finland. The tip of Lapland may see some snowfall though, IL’s weather map shows.
 For comparison’s sake, IL reports that temperature in Enontekiö, Lapland, hovered around eight degrees at midsummer last year.  Nevertheless, IL doubts that bars in Rauma are ready to open their outdoor patios quite yet.


Snow cover averages across many areas of Finland have decreased between the years of 1961-2014, according to a study carried out by researchers at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
 "Snow conditions in high‐latitude regions are changing in response to climate warming, and these changes are likely to accelerate as the warming proceeds," the report's authors wrote.
 The maximum annual amounts of snow cover in southern and western Finland - and locally in some central areas - have decreased by an average of 2-4 cm every ten years during 1961-2014.
 However, there was no statistically significant change in snow cover amounts in northern Finland during that 53-year period, according to the FMI.
 Researcher  Anna Luomaranta  said maximum snow cover averages measured around 20-40 cm in south-western Finland and more than one metre in Finnish Lapland.
 Snow arrives later, ends earlier
 According to the research, the duration of snow cover also decreased during those five decades.
 Luomaranta said that the snowy season arrived later particularly in central, south-western and western parts of northern Ostrobothnia.
 Snow cover melted earlier especially in western Finland, according to the researcher.
 The disappearance of snow cover took place about four days earlier each decade during that period in western areas, and about one to three days earlier across the rest of the country, according to Luomaranta.
 Major regional differences
 "Our results indicate that regional differences of changes in snow conditions can be relatively large, even within such a small (region) as Finland," according to the study summary.
 The annual maximum snow depth that typically occurs in March was found to have decreased across more than 85 percent of the country, most strongly in western coastal areas.
 In almost half of Finland, this decrease occurred despite an increase in snowy weather, according to the research.
 "Our findings highlight the complexity of the responses of snow conditions to climatic variability in northern Europe," the authors stated.
 The report, "Snow cover trends in Finland over 1961-2014 based on gridded snow depth observations," was published by the  International Journal of Climatology .


Daily  Helsingin Sanomat  writes about the difficulties that the government’s flagship reforms on social and health care services (_ sote _) are facing and the possible effects that a failure to pass the laws may cause.
 The Constitutional Law Committee is dealing with the reforms now, but time is running out, HS writes, as the current parliamentary term will end in four weeks. It is therefore increasingly looking like the laws will not passed during this government and that the reform will “fall forward.” That means that the processes which have already been initiated at regional level to introduce sote will continue even without a wholesale law reform, HS writes.
 While on the administrative side municipalities may change the way they provide services, the visible effects on patients and clients are likely to remain minor.
 Tarja Myllärinen  from the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities says municipalities are likely to cooperate more. “All regions have discussed the different options, even though they may not have been very vocal about it.”
 Regardless of what happens to sote, the peripheral regions of Finland will suffer as the population ages while big cities will survive, says  Markus Sovala  from Uusimaa Regional Council. “When the money runs out, it will be difficult to make decisions.”
 Nonetheless, any disorder that may result from the postponement of sote will mostly impact administration. “This is not Naples where rubbish piles up on the streets for half a year,” Sovala adds.
 Risky level crossings
 Meanwhile, some level crossings in Finland are so dangerous that passing over them is like playing Russian roulette, according to  tabloid Ilta-Sanomat . Despite  a fatal crash in Raseborg  in 2017, there are multiple level crossings still in use where visibility is very poor but safety has not been improved, according to the paper. One of them is the Simonen crossing near Seinäjoki in Western Finland.
 “Even if they do everything right, people venturing to these crossings can't be enitrely sure they aren't going to be hit by a train. And they don't even know they are playing with their lives,” says  Hannamari Helke  from the Safety Investigation Authority.
 Dangerous crossings are a remnant from the past, when trains were slower and the conductors had more time to react to drivers, IS writes. As speed limits for trains have risen, so too have the problems at the crossings.
 “It’s not legal to build level crossings like this anymore, but for some reason, Finnish law does not require the existing ones to be fixed,” Helke told the paper.
 According to her, people in Finland are used to society taking care of safety, which makes these risky crossings even more dangerous.
 “Closing the crossings would mean that drivers have to take a detour. But that's better than dying," Helke adds.
 Spring's on its way
 Tabloid Iltalehti  reports that Finland is experiencing a February heat wave. On Thursday night, temperature in Rauma, southwestern Finland, climbed to 8.4 degrees – a 60-year record for this time of the year.
 Weather for the weekend is looking to be balmy, with plenty of sunshine across the country and temperatures between four and seven degrees in southern and central Finland. The tip of Lapland may see some snowfall though, IL’s weather map shows.
 For comparison’s sake, IL reports that temperature in Enontekiö, Lapland, hovered around eight degrees at midsummer last year.
 Nevertheless, IL doubts that bars and restaurants in Rauma are ready to open their outdoor patios just yet.


Before 7.00am on Friday, temperatures in Muonio, western Lapland measured -35 degrees Celsius. However by Saturday morning they will reach +five degrees – meaning that conditions in the north will warm up by an astounding 40 degrees overnight.
 However at the same time a weather system will dump freezing rain across the country. According to Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen , it is unusual for both phenomena to have such a large-scale effect. He added that there are no records to indicate the last time there was such a radical temperature change in a 24-hour period.
 By 10.00am on Friday, the temperature in Muonio had risen to -17 degrees, already exceeding the usual daytime temperature change. At this time of year, the sun generally causes conditions to warm up by between 10 and 15 degrees.
 Freezing rain causes perilous driving conditions
 The freezing rain expected on Saturday could make road conditions challenging in a zone stretching from Ostrobothnia to western Lapland. Huutonen cautioned motorists to exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning.
 Conditions on Saturday will be ideal for taking a turn outdoors as highs will be quite spring-like, rising above freezing throughout the country.
 Huutonen said that the sun’s growing influence will make winter seem a thing of the past as snow cover rapidly shrinks, starting from the west and southwest.
 The Yle meteorologist speculated that in about a week and a half, the snow would likely have melted in a region ranging from Ostrobothnia in the west to Uusimaa in the south.


The Finnish healthcare system is among the best in Europe, says daily  Helsingin Sanomat . Based on a study by Swedish research company Health Powerhouse, Finland ranks sixth among 35 European countries.
 According to HS, the Euro Health Consumer Index commends Finland for its wide range of healthcare services offered at a relatively low price.
 The study compared 48 indicators, including patient rights, access to care and treatment results. In the last category, which measured child mortality, deaths caused by cancer and heart attack and the number of abortions and suicides, Finland fared as well as this year’s winner Switzerland, HS writes.
 There is room for improvement, however, as queues for certain treatments such as cataract surgery are long and the healthcare system does not sufficiently focus on preventative care, the paper says.
 In addition, patients in Finland pay a larger share of prescription drug costs out of their own pocket than in many other European countries, HS writes. After Switzerland, the continent’s best health care is offered in the Netherlands and Norway, the study showed, while Albania, Romania and Hungary hold the bottom spots.
 New Children's Ombudsman
 Tuomas Kurttila  will not serve as Children’s Ombudsman after April, reports daily  Keskisuomalainen . The government will appoint a new ombudsman on Thursday, but Kurttila is not among the possible appointees.
 The Children's Ombudsman monitors the welfare of Finnish children and youth and tries to influence politicians to make decisions that benefit children.
 The position has a five-year term and Kurttila’s term will come to an end this spring. He reapplied for the job while he is also running for Parliament as a Social Democratic Party candidate in the general election.
 On his Facebook page, Kurttila points out that his term has not been without successes. For example, he proposed to the justice ministry that child marriages should be banned. Parliament unanimously  approved the proposal last week .
 Kurttila came under fire  in December following news reports that he had spent more than 5,000 euros on cab rides in three months. He had, for example, taken a 600-euro taxi trip to travel from Oulu to Jyväskylä - a distance of 340 km.
 At the time, Kurttila said his frequent use of cabs was based on time savings concerns, workplace well-being and the conversations he has with taxi drivers.
 Winter returns
 Meanwhile, tabloid  Iltalehti  writes that after a spell of spring weather winter will return with a force on Thursday. Northerly winds will pick up, with a forecast of snow.
 “Even though snowfall will not be that heavy, it could have an effect on traffic on Thursday,” says meteorologist  Jenna Salminen  from Foreca. “It’ll be a mix of snow and sleet and mostly just rain along the coast,” she adds.
 While temperatures will be above zero on Thursday morning, they will drop below freezing across the country during the day. Biting winds will make the situation worse, IL writes.
 “This kind of change in weather is not very exceptional. It just feels that way, because in recent times we have become used to warmer temperatures,” Salminen says.
 What’s more, next week will be even colder and nighttime temperatures could fall to -15 degrees Celsius, including in southern Finland. Nevertheless, some days will be sunny, so there is no reason to be too disappointed, IL says.


Motorists venturing onto the roads in parts of Finland are being advised to expect winds gusting at speeds of up to 20 meters per second.
 "Wind warnings have been issued across a narrow zone from southern Ostrobothnia to southern Karelia but winds are high and gusts may also reach storm readings on the south coast and in coastal regions in Ostrobothnia," said Yle meteorologist  Kerttu Kotakorpi .
 During Saturday night the stormy weather system is expected to move across the country towards the southeast. Meanwhile maritime traffic between Finland and Estonia may be affected by powerful crosswinds. By Saturday afternoon gusts were expected to reach 25 metres per second in Emäsalo, off the coast of Porvoo in the south.
 According to Kotakorpi, the winds are expected to subside by Sunday morning.
 Heavy snow, frosty night
 Snow flurries were also forecasted to move east across southern and central Finland on Saturday. Heavy snowfall was expected to create poor driving conditions, with roads worst affected in the east. In addition to the gusty winds, motorists are advised to brace for swirling, powdery snowfall that will likely impair visibility.
 "On Saturday afternoon 17 centimetres of snow had already fallen in Puolanko, Kainuu for example. During the evening the snowfall may also extend to the south coast," Kotakorpi noted.
 Meanwhile overnight temperatures on Saturday are expected to fall to -10 degrees Celsius in the south and further to -30 degrees in Lapland as the snow front migrates to the east.
 Although Sunday will be sunny and warmer, daytime highs will still remain below freezing. According to Kotakorpi the week will usher in variable conditions.
 "Temperatures down south will be just below zero degrees and colder in Lapland. Children beginning their ski holidays in northern and eastern Finland can look forward to sunny days with lots of snow," Kotakorpi added.


Motorists throughout Finland are advised to prepare for poor driving conditions, due to a new front of precipitation moving in from the west.
 Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen  says a very strong low pressure front is currently moving over Scandinavia, making its way to Finland. He predicts the storm will hit the west coast already Sunday afternoon.
 "In the evening, the front will spread thorughout the south and west, and road conditions will become either dangerous or very dangerous," he says.
 The precipitation will fall in the south as rain or sleet, and father north as sleet or snow. Northern Finland will see the most accumulation.
 "Central Lapland may see very poor road conditions over the next 24 hours," Huutonen says.
 Clearer skies but colder starting Wednesday
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a  warning  for dangerous road conditions already Sunday evening in the southwest, while tomorrow the traffic warning will expand to everywhere but the far north.
 Temperatures on Sunday and Monday will stay above zero degrees Celsius in most areas, with below-zero temperatures and sunny skies forecast for Northern Lapland.
 High winds are also expected at sea, where gusts might approach 15 metres per second in the eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland.
 Things are predicted to clear up a bit on Tuesday, with only scattered showers forecast for select areas. On Wednesday, the skies will finally clear up as temperatures drop once again.


Daily  Helsingin Sanomat  reports that all first-graders in Finland will start learning a foreign language in the autumn. By introducing children to foreign languages at an earlier age, the Finnish National Agency for Education wants to make language teaching and choices more equal across the country, HS writes. Currently, teaching of the first foreign language, so called A1-language, begins in third grade.
 About 100 municipalities already took part in a two-year pilot project which was aimed to develop and increase foreign language instruction in daycares, pre- and primary schools.
 "This project has been very successful," says the education ministry's senior ministerial adviser  Minna Polvinen .
 "According to the feedback we’ve received, this is exactly what language teaching needs," she adds.
 One objective of the project has been to diversify language studies, so that as many children as possible would study another language besides English, HS says.
 At the moment, 80 percent of pupils in basic education (grades 1-9) study one foreign language, usually English, in addition to Swedish or Finnish – the country's two official languages.
 The education agency considers the narrowing of language skills among Finns a worrisome trend, according to the paper.
 As a result, besides English, schools in Tampere provide instruction in Swedish, German, French, Russian and Chinese. On top of these, schoolkids in Helsinki can choose Northern Sámi or Estonian, which are both offered in one school.
 Heat wave deaths
 The extended heat wave last summer raised mortality rates among elderly people, writes daily  Karjalainen . Based on a study by the National Institute for Health and Welfare THL, the heatwave during July and August of last year caused the premature deaths of 380 people.
 The daily mortality rate among people aged 65 and over increased by 14 percent, the paper says.
 A long period of high temperatures poses risks to people suffering from heart and circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders or mental health problems, says  Virpi Kollanus  from THL.
 According to her, mortality increases among older people regardless of whether they live at home or at senior care centres.
 “We recommend that senior care homes improve their preparedness for heat waves,” Kollanus adds.
 The temperature inside senior care homes should not rise beyond 30 degrees Celsius, according to the paper.
 According to figures from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, last summer was two full degrees warmer than the average. In southern Finland, there were 40 days when temperatures exceeded 25 degrees.
 Weekend warmth
 It might not be a heatwave quite yet, but it seems spring is finally on its way. Tabloid  Iltalehti  writes that temperatures in southern and central Finland could top 10 degrees on Friday and Saturday.
 ”Friday in particularly will be fairly dry and sunny aross the country, with the exception of Lapland. In the south, Saturday is a good day to go outdoors as well, with temperatures between five and nine degrees,” says meteorologist  Riikka Lahtinen  from Foreca.
 But strong winds will make the weather feel a bit colder, she notes.
 According to IL, average daytime temperatures in the south have risen above zero degrees, which means that spring has officially stared.
 “Early spring flowers like coltsfoot and hepatica have already been spotted,” Lahtinen says.
 However, nights are likely to remain cold, with temperatures below zero, at least on Wednesday. In Lapland, it could be as cold as -15 degrees, Lahtinen adds.


A string of abnormally hot temperatures recorded in Finland in recent years provides evidence for climate change, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has determined.
 In a new  report  available only in Finnish, the institute analysed weather observation data from the last 60 years and found what it says is proof of a warming climate in Finland.
 Since 2010, there have been 102 days in which record daily temperatures have been reported, clearly more than at any time in the FMI's measurement history.
 The FMI says that these repeated temperature patterns are a sign that Finland is experiencing climate change. The weather experts also predict that the temperatures will continue to climb in the coming years.
 The institute says the trend is further supported by the report's evidence that winter days with abnormally cold temperatures are becoming a thing of the past. Finland's top meteorologists even venture to say that daily cold records will soon become "etched in stone", in that there is little chance that they will ever be surpassed.
 Annual incidence of daily maximum and minimum temperatures, 1959-2018 FMI
 The highest temperature ever recorded in Finland – 37.2 degrees Celsius – was measured on 29 July 2010 at the Joensuu Airport in Liperi, eastern Finland. A second seasonal spike in temperature – 20.9 degrees Celsius – was recorded last year, on 14 October in Kronoby, western Finland.
 At the other end of the spectrum, the coldest day on record was measured on 28 January 1999, when a temperature of -51.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the Pokka district of Kittilä, in Finnish Lapland.


A high pressure zone is bringing sunny skies to most of Finland this weekend.
 "This weekend we’ll see beautiful spring weather, but that doesn’t mean winter is over," said Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen .
 The sun will make an appearance across the country on Saturday, with temperatures crossing the 10-degree-Celsius mark in southern parts—at least for a moment. The weather is expected to cool nationwide as the weekend progresses.
 Winter returns
 A new snow front moving in up north is bringing more of the white stuff to Lapland. This means northern and western areas can expect April snow showers on Sunday.
 Sludge and summer speed limits make for a dangerous combination, warns Yle meteorologist Matt Huutonen. Risto Degerman / Yle
 By next week, central parts of Finland could see up to 30 centimetres of snow. Precipitation will mainly come down as rain in southern areas, according to Yle metrorologists Matti Huutonen and  Kerttu Kotakorpi.
 Huutonen pointed out that it is still too early to switch to summer tyres, although summer speed limits will be rolled out in most places next week.
 Chilly spell dials back spring
 While downpours will clear up after Wednesday, the weather will remain chilly.
 "Spring doesn’t seem to be inching forward next week, even if the weather does clear up," Huutonen said.
 Night-time lows toward the end of next week are likely to fall in the sub-zero range—even in southern Finland.


Police estimated that around 10,000 protesters descended on downtown Helsinki on Saturday to protest the government's inaction over combatting climate change.
 Protesters carried placards and chanted as they made their way through the centre of Helsinki from the Senate Square over to the steps of the Parliament House, starting at 2.00pm.
 Demonstrators called for drastic political measures and structural reforms to ensure that the global mean temperature does not rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius and that consumers do not end up bearing the brunt of the burden for effecting change.
 A crowd of thousands gathered at the Senate Square on Saturday. Timo Jaakonaho / Lehtikuva
 Organisers such as  Katja Hintikainen  said they originally expected between 5,000 and 10,000 protesters.
 "The next government has to make the right call," said fellow organiser  Matti Ikonen  from the "Irreplaceable" (Korvaamaton) campaign. "If we continue to do nothing for another four years I don't know what we'll be able to do."
 Concrete measures demanded by the march organisers include halting the sale of petrol-fuelled cars by 2027, defunding power plants that burn fossil fuels and encouraging more plant-oriented food production and consumption by introducing agricultural subsidies and taxes on meat products.
 The climate march was organised by the Korvaamaton campaign, which is backed by groups such as Greenpeace, Bird Life, WWF Finland and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.
 The first climate march (Ilmastomarssi I) took place in October 2018, when 8,000 people protested decision-makers' inaction on climate issues.
 Change is possible
 Ikonen pointed to the lack of real suggestions for climate measures, despite the fact that Finland and nearly all of its political leaders backed ratification of the Paris Agreement along with the rest of the EU in 2015.
 "The faster we get some real decisions made, the faster and cheaper it will be to curb global warming," Ikonen said.
 Consumers should not be the ones to shoulder the burden of slowing global warming, Ikonen said and he called for legislation to help the public become accustomed to new ways of consuming.
 "Changes in consumer behaviour can sometimes turn out to be temporary, but it is clear now that people don't want to eat meat or fly in airplanes as much as they used to."
 He compared the change in attitude that the campaign represents to the way cigarettes were viewed in the past. In the 1990s smoking was still ubiquitous, but soon social pressure caused the number of smokers to plummet.
 "When society is ready for change, people often come to accept ideas that they previously resisted. Think about light bulbs: people resisted the EU directive banning incandescent bulbs, but now LED lighting – which uses 99 percent less energy – has become common."
 President Halonen stands with young strikers
 Organisers such as Ikonen say the large turnout for the protest represents hope, as does the global  Fridays for Future  campaign.  Schoolchildren around the world  are walking out of school once a week to  protest global climate change .
 On Friday, one day before the large-scale Helsinki demo, some 200 students turned up to protest global warming on the Parliament steps. They were joined by ex-president  Tarja Halonen , who spoke at the rally.
 "There is no time to stall on climate change. We have to do everything we can, right now," Halonen said.
 She also emphasised the meaning of lifelong learning and the importance of voting.
 "Finland will hold the chair of the European Union starting on 1 July. There are only 5.5 million people in Finland, but other countries will listen to us. It is important as the chairing country to express strong demands that people in Finland support."


Summer speed limits are scheduled to come into force nationwide this week, according to the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The top permissible speed on highways will go back up to 120km/h and on other main roads to 100km/h.
 On some roads, and under good driving conditions, the higher summer speed limits have been in force since the beginning of March.
 Authorities in Finland review road conditions before rolling out summer speed limits. Lower limits may remain posted on sections of roads where the surface has suffered significant damage during the winter months.
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute reports that  snow, sleet and snow flurries  will make driving conditions hazardous on Monday in central parts of the country, as well as in North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. Winds are expected to reach storm levels in many areas.
 "From Monday through Wednesday it will be miserable and rainy. Then it will get colder," predicts Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen .


Most of Finland on Monday was experiencing a return of wintry weather with high winds, rain, sleet and snow.
 Southern areas, where temperatures continue to be well above freezing, will get off easier. Daytime rain and sleet in the south are, however, expected to turn to light snow overnight.
 In central regions, snow accumulation could reach as much as 10cm by Tuesday morning, according to Yle Meteorologist  Anniina Valtonen .
 Tuesday night may well bring a further 5cm of snow to central Finland. At the same time, storms are in the forecast over western sea areas.
 Power companies have made preparations to deal with heavy snowfall, though it is unlikely that this week's weather will lead to major outages.
 This past weekend, daytime temperatures were over 10C in large parts of the country, but have now dropped to just a few degrees above freezing in most areas.
 Even though there have been major temperature variations seen, this is not unusual for the time of year, according to Valtonen.
 "This is normally a part of the arrival of spring," she says.
 Meanwhile the Finnish Meteorological Institute advises motorists not to switch to summer tyres just yet.


On Monday morning the Finnish Meteorological Institute reported a dusting of snow cover at its Tikkakoski weather station in Jyväskylä. By the next morning however, the reading was 18cm of snow cover at the same location.
 Story continues after photo.
 An indication of how much new snow Jyväskylä received in less than 24 hours. Outi Parikka / Yle
 The heaviest snowfall was early Monday evening, over 4mm of precipitation an hour. A general meteorology rule of thumb is that one millimetre of measured precipitation equals one centimetre of snow.
 Road conditions in the region are expected to remain hazardous until at least early evening on Tuesday. One person died Tuesday morning in a collision between a car and a delivery lorry in Jyväskylä.
 An air dome at Jyväskylä's Vehkalampi sports venue was taken down when the weight of snow began to raise safety concerns.
 "This is the first time we've had to do this. These conditions are impossible. Of course we're not open," commented Jarmo Korhonen who supervises the facility for the city of Jyväskylä.
 Story continues after photo.
 Collapsed air dome in Jyväskylä. Petri Aaltonen / Yle
 There have been rolling power outages caused by wet snow downing trees and power lines. Starting in the southwest of the country and moving eastwards, at their peak Tuesday morning, the power cuts left around 8,000 households without electricity.
 According to the current forecast, lighter snowfall is expected to continue in central regions. Road clearing crews and equipment are out in full force.
 Story continues after photo.
 Tenho Tornberg / Yle
 In the Pirkanmaa region, heavy vehicles met with problems, getting stuck in snow and slush at crossroads and on ramps, especially on highway 3 north of Tampere.
 Around 20cm of new snowfall was recorded in the region overnight causing power outages, with the municipalities of Ylöjärvi, Ikaalinen ja Ruovesi most affected.


Finland may be in for some real signs of spring in the coming days, as it looks like the weather will warm up toward the Easter holiday weekend. An extensive high-pressure front is expected to move across the country, creating clear and even sunny days, according to Yle meteorologist  Joonas Koskela .
 "If our forecast holds true, the next time we'll get rain clouds isn't until the end of next week," Koskela said.
 Saturday and Sunday will see cloud cover, but the days will be dry with the sun occasionally peeking out. The weekend will be sunnier further north.
 "Tomorrow, Saturday the high temperature will go over five degrees Celsius in the west, where Sunday will bring highs of about 10 degrees, and continue to rise from there," Koskela said.
 But the forecaster predicts that next week's warmest day will be Thursday, 18 April, when daytime temperatures will likely exceed 15 degrees Celsius.
 Meteorologists can't see past Eastertide, and night-time temperatures will still drop below zero even in the south. It won't be until the end of next week that night frost will abate, said Koskela.
 Goodbye, snow?
 A cold snap started off the week on Monday, so while southern regions are largely snowless, more than 80 cm of snow is still on the ground in the north.
 Snow cover of up to half a metre can still be seen in central Finland, too – but maybe not for long.
 "Even with night frost, the forecast says that by Sunday next week the snow cover is likely to evaporate in central areas, but I can't promise anything," Koskela said.


A sunny and warm Easter is in the forecast, predicts Yle meteorologist Anne Borgström. Southern and central parts of the country are most likely to see clear skies, warming sunshine and balmy breezes.
 "There's a chance that the temperature may even jump up to 20 degrees Celsius on Saturday," Borgström says.
 Even though the Easter holidays are being celebrated later this year, temperatures have been warmer in Finland than they usually are in mid-April. The ground is also already dry in many areas.
 "There's still snow in the forests and no grass fire warnings have been issued, but it's a good idea to be careful lighting fires," Borgström says.
 Most of the northern part of Finland is still covered in snow, with 84 centimetres reported in the popular skiing location of Kittilä in Lapland on Friday.
 Weather forecast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yle
 Thursday already saw the warmest temperatures of the year so far in many areas. Friday is predicted to be a bit cooler, with more patches of overcast skies. Borgström predicts sleet in the western parts of Lapland in the afternoon.
 On Saturday, the precipitation front is expected to move east, and even Lapland may see warm springtime temperatures of up to 15 degrees. Conditions will be colder in the east, with temperatures of around 10 degrees Celsius in the forecast.
 Easter Sunday will bring rain showers and brisker winds to the north, while the rest of the country will continue to enjoy the sunshine and warmth.
 Borgström says things will stay warm into next week as well, with warm and sunny conditions in the forecast for Tuesday, when the mercury may rise to 20 degrees Celsius again.


Tuesday and Wednesday will be sunny and warm across Finland, with the mercury approaching 20 degrees Celsius, especially along the southern coast.
 On Easter Monday, temperatures in southern and central areas range from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, though it will be slightly cooler up north. Scattered showers and clouds are also in store for central parts of the country on Monday.
 Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva
 By Tuesday, a high pressure zone will move in from the south, bringing clear skies to most of Finland.
 The warm spell will also see frost-free nights everywhere in the country with the exception of Finnish Lapland.
 No rain in sight
 Spring rain is not expected to bring any allergy relief to sufferers as dry conditions are expected to continue this week. Grass fire warnings extend from southern Finland up the western coast.
 This spring's heat record of +19.3 degrees Celsius was set last Thursday in Kemiö in the south-west.


Temperatures across some parts of Finland reached their highest of the year and skies were virtually cloudless and sunny on Tuesday afternoon.
 Finland's highest temperature was measured at around 2pm in Ylivieska, Northern Ostrobothnia, but Yle meteorologist  Toni Hellinen  said higher temperatures may still be in store before the end of the day.
 It was warmer in some parts of Finland than it was in Spain on Tuesday.
 The temperature in downtown Helsinki measured 16.9 degrees Celsius, while it was an even milder 18.5 degrees in Tampere at 4:30pm on Tuesday. On the west coast city of Vaasa, the thermometer showed 15.3 degrees while it was a chillier 10.2 degrees in the eastern city of Joensuu.
 Up north in Finnish Lapland, the temperature in Rovaniemi measured 15.8 degrees at 4:30pm, while in south-western Finland's Turku it was 18.1 degrees.
 Forecasters said Wednesday's weather will be quite similar to Tuesday's. But according to the Finnish Metrological Institute Wednesday will likely be a bit cloudier.
 However, the unusually mild and dry spring weather may not last for long. Yle meteorologist Joonas Koskela said there is chance of rain showers over the weekend, saying it will likely get cloudier on Thursday, as well.


The Trade Union of Education (OAJ) and education development group  Opinkirjo  are developing a new teaching model that would make education on climate change in schools more effective, comprehensive and constructive.
 The climate teaching programme is meant to help teachers plan varied courses that tackle the issue of global warming from many different angles.
 According to a Finnish Youth Research Network survey, children and teens around the country increasingly cite climate change as one of their primary worries. The sentiment is what  has brought young people out into the streets to protest  the government's perceived failure to act on climate matters.
 Executive director  Minna-Riikka Järvinen  from Opinkirjo said the current model for climate teaching does not engage with children.
 "It's about the approach being taken towards already available curricula," said Järvinen. "We also don't want to increase children's climate anxiety. We are trying to protect them while they are assailed by vast amounts of information from different directions."
 Teacher Heli-Maija Heikkinen and students at the Otalampi school. The question on the blackboard reads, What are you afraid of? Mikko Koski / Yle
 Students may write letters to decision-makers, complete climate and environmental projects and visit companies as part of the programme.
 "There are so many ways to take part in changing things, in terms of school lunch or transportation. For example, how can we interact with local businesses and affect their practices or even their products," Järvinen said.
 New teaching materials are also being prepared for the climate education model, for which education counselor  Hanna Pohjonen  said there is high demand.
 "Climate change should be part of every subject"
 Ninth-grade students at the Otalampi comprehensive school in Vihti say they want more instruction on climate issues. The teens have helped to develop the school's climate project.
 "Climate change should be taught earlier than in the ninth grade, and it should be more than one paragraph in a geography lesson. Climate should be a part of everything," said student  Hilla Nuolioja .
 Otalampi school students Hilla Nuolioja, Viivi Rimpiläinen and Milla Jalas say they want more climate change lessons. Mikko Koski / Yle
 The students say that climate change is like the proverbial elephant in the room: everyone knows that the climate is changing more and more rapidly, but it is not an easy subject to discuss.
 "Different subjects should involve more talk about climate change. It's such a big deal that it feels weird that we can't discuss it," said student  Milla Jalas .
 "Many people would like to know what climate change actually is, and where we're headed," said fellow ninth-grader  Viivi Rimpiläinen .
 OAJ: Climate teaching should be standardised
 Climate-related teaching is already in the curricula of schools all the way from early childhood education to high school. But schools and teachers may have different focus points in their teaching, and the issues are not necessarily referred to just as climate change or global warming, but more generally as sustainable lifestyles.
 The OAJ argues that climate change education in Finland should be standardised.
 "We have to really bring about fact-based, positive changes in attitudes," said OAJ chair  Olli Luukkainen . "Speaking about climate is not fussing, it is crucial. For children to be able to make up their own minds about it, schools must play a big part."
 The 'Climate School' project will initially begin in a few select locations, but all schools can register to take part if they want. The endgame of the programme is to create a permanent model to be used in all of Finland's schools.
 Chair Minna-Riikka Järvinen of Opinkirjo. Mikko Koski / Yle
 "Children and teens should get to find their own ways to do good deeds for the climate and the environment," Järvinen said.
 Previously a two-year climate education project was introduced at the University of Lapland in collaboration with the  Finnish Climate Change Panel ., where university-level student teachers piloted the programme with primary school children.
 In March seven commercial radio channels and advertising agency TBWA Helsinki  started a citizens' initiative  to make climate change education a separate school subject. More than 10,000 people have supported the initiative, which needs 50,000 signatures to be brought before Parliament.


"Normal" in this context means that at least one more layer of clothing than during last week's warm spell will likely feel comfortable.
 While there is no sleet in the forecast for southern parts of the country, last weekend's summery temperatures have been replaced by cooler air for the time being.
 "On May Day temperatures will be just above 10 degrees Celsius, even in the south. It might be considerably chillier in coastal areas if there is a wind from the sea. Further north, it will be cloudier and there will be no avoiding some showers," says  Mikael Frisk  of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
 Snow flurries in Lapland
 The latest forecast is for increasingly cloudy weather starting Monday evening in eastern and northern Lapland. Western parts of Lapland will see sunshine.
 Tuesday is expected to bring variably cloudy skies throughout the north with the chance of local showers, including some snow flurries in the far north.
 Temperatures in western Finland on Tuesday should range between 12C-15C, elsewhere in the country around 10C, except in central and northern Lapland where the mercury may hover around 2C-5C.
 On May Day, Wednesday, the forecast is for cloudy skies in the north, widespread precipitation and snow in northern Lapland.
 Southern parts of the country will continue to be dry throughout the holiday.
 Dry weather has increased the danger of grass and forest fires, with official warnings in effect across most of the country.