A band of precipitation moving into southern Finland is likely to dump snow over the region Tuesday morning. According to Yle meteorologist Toni Hellinen, residents can look forward to several centimetres of precipitation – occasionally even thick -- carpeting the ground in white.
"A cold air mass is moving over the Gulf of Finland, however the ground is still relatively warm, so we are in for a small surprise," Hellinen added.
However the snow cover is not likely to be permanent, given that the ground is still warm, he noted.
Caution advised, especially with summer tyres
Given the forecast, road conditions are naturally expected to deteriorate. Motorists who are still driving with summer tyres are being advised to exercise extreme caution on the roads.
If drivers don’t encounter problems caused by snow or sleet, they may have to contend with icy, slippery roads until Thursday morning as temperatures drop below freezing.
In spite of the temporary cold snap, conditions will become milder towards the end of the week and any snow still left on the ground will melt away by then. Possible rain may also finish the job of clearing away the remains of the season’s first snowfall down south.
If snow does fall as expected this week, it will take place one week earlier than on average. Statistics show that southern Finland experiences its first snowfall on average during the transition from October to November. It’s still not certain that Tuesday will bring the first official snow of the season.
"We don’t know for sure. There would need to be at least one centimetre of snow at the monitoring station for it to be considered the first official record of snow," Hellinen explained.
