HELSINKI (AP) – Finland and Sweden recorded the coldest temperatures of the winter yesterday as thermometers plummeted to -40 degrees Celsius (°C) as a result of a cold spell prevailing in the Nordic region.
In Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by the indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, thermometer showed -41.6°C yesterday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported.
“It’s the coldest temperature we have had so far this winter, and it will continue to be quite cold weather in the north,” said SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist.
Train operators in Sweden said the cold snap has caused substantial problems for rail traffic in the north, among other issues.
The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has reported temperatures of -30°C in several locations in northern Sweden.
In neighbouring Finland, this winter’s cold record was recorded in the northwestern town of Ylivieska where temperatures fell to -37.8°C yesterday.
Temperatures of over -30°C were recorded at several locations in the Arctic Lapland region.
The Finnish capital, Helsinki, was also under a cold spell with temperature expected to hover between -15 and -20°C throughout this week.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a warning of substantially cold weather prevailing in the country this week, and forecast temperatures were likely to exceed -40°C in parts of the nation.
