Current temperatures, which are expected to exceed 27°C, are around 10°C higher than the average temperatures for the month of May.
Finland recorded an unusually warm May, with temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius, a record for the country, the meteorological institute told AFP on Monday. An alert has been issued for the period Tuesday to Friday across much of Finland due to temperatures expected to exceed 27°C.
“This is probably the first time we have issued a heat wave alert in May”, Iiris Viljamaa of the Finnish Meteorological Institute told AFP, specifying that this type of alert occurs in June at the earliest. Human-induced climate change will lead to more frequent, longer and more intense heatwaves, scientists regularly warn. “The Finnish climate has always experienced weather changes, but today climate change is reinforcing these types of phenomena”according to meteorologist Leena Laakso.
Already “health problems”
Current temperatures are about 10°C higher than average temperatures for May, she added. The heat wave alert aims to advise vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children or people with illnesses to protect themselves from the heat, according to a press release published by the Finnish Institute of Health. “In Finland, we are used to cool weather and the population is already starting to have health problems directly linked to this type of weather”assures Iiris Viljamma.
On Monday, temperatures hovered between 24 and 28 degrees due to a high pressure system combined with a wave of hot, dry air coming from the south. The town of Salo in southwest Finland recorded 28.8°C on Saturday, the highest temperature of the year so far. The mercury will remain at these levels until the end of the month, the meteorologist said. After Sunday, the weather is expected to begin to cool, bringing much-awaited rainfall for nature and drought-prone fields.