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Weather
When travelling to Finland, please take into consideration the time of the year. The weather and temperature vary greatly over the year. Finland is also very long country, which means local weather conditions vary greatly too.
Always check the local forecast before packing. Most reliable source for weather information is Finnish Meteorological Instute: https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/weather/helsinki
Spring
Spring is short in Finland. In southern Finland there is often snow on the ground still
at the beginning of April. Of all the seasons, spring is definitely the most versatile depending which part of Finland you are visiting. In the North it is still
possible to go skiing where as South is getting warmer and warmer.
Festive season
Spring is time of rebirth and celebration. It is the time of Easter, and May the 1st – Vappu in Finnish – a time of celebrations across the country.
Be forewarned: this is not a day when Finns are their usual sober and hardworking selves. This is the time to celebrate!
Summer
Because of the long, cold winter Finns celebrate their summer very passionately. Some go to music festivals, offering a choice of jazz, blues, rock, opera and chamber music. Others are sailing among the coastal islands or enjoying slow life at their summer cottages – swimming, fishing and cooking dinner on the grill. For three months, the temperatures soar high and the sun does not set at all.
Midsummer
Midsummer is a main national holiday in Finland. Originally a celebration of the summer solstice, it is typically spent with friends and family at a summer cottage away from the city, either partying or relaxing.
Midsummer is often seen as the beginning of warm summer weather and many Finns start their summer holidays on Midsummer Eve. Taking place at the end of June, longest day of the year is a key element in the festivities in the northern parts of Finland.
Autumn
Summer ends with an explosion of colour in the forests. This is the season known as ‘ruska’, when the autumnal reds, browns and yellows are especially beautiful on the fells of Lapland. September is also a popular time for trekking in northern Finland.
Berries and mushrooms from forest
In Autumn, the woods in Finland became full with wild edible mushrooms and berries. These Finnish food products are often completely free of charge and have grown in the wild. Everyman’s right in the country’s forests guarantees that you are allowed to pick your own food.
Season of change
Autumn is the time when Finns are taking their boats out of the water, putt their bicycles in the garage (although some do cycle around the year), and prepare to get out their skates and skis. It is the time between the two main seasons – summer and winter.
Northern lights season begins
Even though many people associate the Northern Lights with cold and snowy winter scenery, the most active seasons are actually autumn and spring when the earth’s orientation towards the sun maximises the probability of solar flares interacting with the planet’s magnetic field to generate this phenomenon.
Winter
Dur
ing January and February, there is almost always snow in northern and eastern Finland. Even if there’s little snow in Helsinki, there’s often more on the skiing slopes of Lapland. The snow season in northern Finland begins in November and lasts at least until May. In the inland regions of southern and central Finland, the first snow falls at the beginning of December and melts during late March and April.
Skiing
During the long days of March and April in Lapland, you can ski or sleigh for 12 to 16 hours under a brilliant sun. The best skiing season in Lapland starts in February and lasts until May.
You can go downhill or cross-country skiing, go on a dogsled or skimobile safari, or even indulge in some ice-skating or ice-fishing. The Finnish winter lasts half the year, so Finns have thought of plenty of activities to fill the time.
Dress right
It gets very cold in Finland in the winter. So remember to dress warmly and enjoy it. Even if the thermometer reads minus 20 centigrade, it doesn’t feel as cold as you might think. The dry continental climate here doesn’t feel as cold as the damp cold of central Europe. Finns are also used to this kind of weather, so everything runs smoothly and punctually, trains and busses and everyday life.
Christmas time and Santa Claus
Everyone knows Santa Claus comes from Finland, but there’s lot more to a traditional Finnish Christmas. During the festive season, Finns like to take things slow and enjoy the company of loved ones.
Sources:
Statistics Finland, Population Register Center, ,Localfinland.fi, Wikipedia, Finland, Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, The Official travel guide to Finland, Travel guide to Jyväskylä
