Finland and Sweden recorded their coldest temperatures of the winter on Tuesday, with thermometers dropping to minus 40 degrees Celsius as a cold snap set in across the Scandinavian region.
Swedish state broadcaster SVT reported that in Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by the indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, the thermometer read minus 41.6 degrees Celsius early Tuesday. SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist noted:
“It’s the coldest temperature we have had so far this winter, and it will continue to be quite cold weather in the north.”
A sharp cold snap has caused significant problems with railway services in the north of the country, Swedish railway operators said. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reported temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius in several places in northern Sweden.
It also issued a snow and wind warning for central and southern Sweden, saying Wednesday’s snowfall combined with wind could cause problems. The second strongest warning is in effect from midnight until Wednesday.
In neighbouring Finland, this winter’s cold record was set in the northwestern town of Ylivieska, where temperatures plunged to minus 37.8 (minus 36) early Tuesday.
Temperatures below minus 30 degrees were recorded in several places in Arctic Lapland. Finland’s capital, Helsinki, has also seen a cold snap, with temperatures expected to hover between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees throughout the week.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a warning that severe cold weather is expected in the country this week, and temperatures in some parts of the country could exceed minus 40 degrees Celsius.
