In today’s blog, I will share my experiences with the weather in Finland.
When I was planning to come to Finland, I used to think that there were only two seasons in Finland. You know why? Because everywhere you go on the internet, you just see the pictures of snow, snowmen, and northern lights. Well, that is not actually the whole picture.
One more thing you might also come to know is that, there is a little window for the summer and there are like sun on your head for very very long hours. Yes, that is also true.
Overall, there are 4 seasons to experience in Finland.
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Spring
Summer
Summer is usually considered from mid May to July.
Summer days are the brightest and trust me, in my opinion the most beautiful time to stay in Finland. The temperature can go up to 35 degree celsius depending on the city. You will see all the trees are green, flowers blooming, birds flying here and there. You will find people going out, walking in the sun, spending time on the beach, or drinking beer with friends and family in the open spaces of the restaurant.Everyone looks so happy and smiling.
There is sunlight for more than 18 hours most of the day, that is why some people cannot sleep properly. It becomes a bit harder for people like us who have been born and brought up in warmer countries. But that could not bother me much. What I did was I bought a pair of black curtains for my windows to black out my living room so that sunlight cannot bother me during the time of sleeping.
In the mid summer, it becomes so warm that you will sweat. If I would not experience it myself, I would probably not believe that it is even possible in Finland. I remember in 2023, one morning it was so warm that I ran to the superstore and bought a fan to keep my room dark. There are a lot of festivals, concerts, small fair, and many other programs are organized around all the cities.
Disclaimer: there will be rain sometimes and sometimes it can be pretty windy so we wear summer jackets.
Beautiful summer in Finland, the transformation from spring to summer is just
Autumn
This is my most favorite time of the year. It starts in the middle of August and lasts until the end of October. The orangish color around the places is so so beautiful. The green tree leaves slowly turn into red, yellow, or orange color and eventually fall from the tree. It is a bit windy and a bit cloudy most of the day. The weather is pretty comfortable all around. Most people still have a bit of their summer vibe left during that time,but you can feel that slowly the winter is coming. The sun sets earlier so the days are usually a bit darker.
Look at that! How can I not love this Autumn?
Winter
The most scary, and depressing winter begins in November in most of the area in Finland. It lasts until the end of January. Slowly it starts snowing all around and you will figure out everything around you is colored as white. How much do you think the temperature goes down? In the last 20 years, the temperature has stayed within -35 degree to -45 degree celsius. December and January are the worst. There is almost no sunlight at all.
The lowest temperature that I got was -30 degree celsius, it feels like the temperature was about -34 degree. Guess what makes it worse? THE WIND. Sometimes it gets so windy and that makes it harder to work outside.
The dark days can be depressing to many people. So you need to take care of yourself. Keep yourself busy and active, join your friends for some hangout, get a lot of coffee or tea to keep yourself warm. I recommend not spending a lot of time alone and try not to overthink. Also, you can spend some time in your country as well.
I will share a separate blog with all the tips you need to survive the winter.
I know this is not the best picture you have ever seen of Aurora, but this is my first time seeing aurora. It was FASCINATING. One of the most memorable day in Finlnad.
Spring
This is the closer of winter. Since february, the temperature remains cold, but the sun starts appearing and outside looks so pretty. Spring lasts almost until the end of April. The sunlight reflects on the snow and it looks very bright everywhere.
The snow melts and then again fresh snow appears. After the dark days, these spring days look so promising. But do not keep your expectations too high. The temperature will remain negative at least until March or beginning of April, just with bright days.
Frozen sea during spring. You can easily walk on the frozen sea.