Finland is located in Northern Europe, which means that winter weather in Finland can be snowy and cold. But what about winter in Helsinki. Helsinki is located in the Southern Finland and on the coast of Gulf of Finland, which means that winters in Helsinki can be quite mild. But how cold is winter in Helsinki. And how much of snow does Helsinki get? Let’s find out!
How Long is Winter in Helsinki?
On average, winter lasts about 3 months in Helsinki. Winter can begin as early as October, but usually winter in November or December. Typical winter months are December, January and February.
How Short is Winter in Helsinki?
Sometimes, winter in Helsinki can be much shorter than usually. Or begin a little later. It is not uncommon for the winter to begin in January.
For example the winter of 2008-2009 was very short. The temperature in Helsinki stayed below zero just for 9 consecutive days at the end of March. The winter of 2019-2020 was even shorter. It lasted just 5 days at the end of February.
How Cold is Winter in Helsinki?
The average temperature for the winter months (December-February) for the past 30 years (1991-2020) is -2.5 °C. On the coldest winter days temperature can drop to -15 or -20 °C. Winter temperature can drop as low as -30 °C in Helsinki, but that is quite rare.
Does Helsinki have Harsh Winters?
In Helsinki, the weather is considered to be very cold when the temperature is -20 °C or colder. The longest cold season in Helsinki was experienced at the beginning of 1968, when the temperature was colder than -20 °C for 13 consecutive days between January 6th and January 13th, 1968.
Another cold winter was experienced in 1986-1987. The temperature remained below -30 °C between January 8th and 13th, 1987.
What has been the Coldest Day in Helsinki?
The coldest winter day in Helsinki was January 10th, 1987, when temperature dropped to -35.9 °C. This is the coldest winter temperature ever recorded in Helsinki.
How Warm is Winter in Helsinki?
Usually winter temperatures are fairly mild in Helsinki. And it’s not even uncommon for the temperature to rise momentarily above 0 °C during the winter months. So don’t be surprised if it sometimes rains water instead of snow.
February is usually the coldest month in Helsinki, but this wasn’t the case in 1943. On February 28th, 1943, temperature rose to 11.8 °C. This is the warmest temperature ever recorded in February in Helsinki, or in Finland.
When it Snows in Helsinki?
On average, the first snow cover appears in Helsinki on November 11th, and the permanent snow cover arrives on January 9th.
The earliest snow cover ever witnessed in Helsinki was on September 29th, 1928, when people in Helsinki got to enjoy an 8 cm (3 inch) thick cover of snow.
How Long is the Snow Season in Helsinki?
On average, the snow season in Helsinki lasts 97 days.
How Short is the Snow Season in Helsinki
Usually Helsinki gets a layer of snow every winter, but sometimes the snow season can be very short. The shortest winter in Helsinki was experienced in 2019-2020. It snowed couple of times during winter but the longest time the ground was white continiously was just 4 days. And the snow cover was just 3 cm (1 inch) deep at its best.
How Much it Snows in Helsinki?
Usually Helsinki gets its fair share of the snow as well. The thickest snow cover in Helsinki was measured on March 23rd, 1941, when snow cover was 109 cm (43 inches) deep.
When Winter ends in Helsinki?
On average the snow melts away in Helsinki by March 25th. But in 1941, snow stayed on the ground much longer. In the spring of 1941, the snow cover didn’t disappear until May 5th.
More info
Finnish Meteorological Institute
Image by
