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Finland Climate
Latitude is the principal influence on Finland's
climate.
Because of Finland's northern location, winter is the
longest
season. On the average, winter lasts 105 to 120 days in
the
archipelago and 180 to 220 days in Lapland. This means
that
southern portions of the country are snow-covered about
three
months of the year and the northern, about seven months.
The long
winter causes about half of the annual 500 to 600
millimeters of
precipitation in the north to fall as snow. Precipitation
in the
south amounts to about 600 to 700 millimeters annually.
Like that
of the north, it occurs all through the year, though not
so much
of it is snow.
The Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Eurasian
continent to
the east interact to modify the climate of the country.
The warm
waters of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift
Current,
which warm Norway and Sweden, also warm Finland. Westerly
winds
bring the warm air currents into the Baltic areas and to
the
country's shores, moderating winter temperatures,
especially in
the south. These winds, because of clouds associated with
weather
systems accompanying the westerlies, also decrease the
amount of
sunshine received during the summer. By contrast, the
continental
high pressure system situated over the Eurasian continent
counteracts the maritime influences, causing severe
winters and
occasionally high temperatures in the summer.
Data as of December 1988
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