Finland faces a wet weekend with rain spreading across most regions. Saturday remains cloudy throughout much of the country with possible drizzle in southern and western areas. Temperatures stay above freezing in most regions, ranging between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius. Only Lapland experiences sub-zero temperatures overnight.
Meteorologist Juha Jantunen described the conditions in a statement. "This is gray across most of the country," he said. "Cloud cover may be significantly less in Lapland at times."
Sunday brings more substantial rainfall moving from south to north across virtually the entire country. Precipitation amounts will range between 5 and 15 millimeters according to weather officials.
Lapland faces different challenges as Sunday's precipitation will fall entirely or partially as snow. Central and Northern Lapland could accumulate over five centimeters of snow. Freezing rain is also possible in Lapland on Sunday.
The changing conditions require different preparations for motorists. Drivers outside Lapland can still manage with summer tires this weekend. However, Lapland motorists need winter tires due to freezing conditions.
"When there's occasional frost in Lapland, wet roads tend to freeze," Jantunen explained. "Then Sunday's snowfall will create its own problems."
Next week brings no major weather changes according to forecasts. Temperatures will gradually cool while cloud cover remains abundant. Most areas except the north will stay above freezing.
This early winter weather pattern demonstrates how Finland's vast geographical span creates dramatically different driving conditions across regions simultaneously.