The weather in Finland

When coming to Finland I expected it to be very cold and snowy but I was quite surprised that the weather is nothing like I thought it to be. The coldest day I experienced was on Monday the 5^th of January with a temperature of about -16°C. I really like it if it is snowing in Turku because the city looks so much brighter then. There is always some snow here but it also melts away very quickly and after that gets very slippery and icy.

Moreover, I found out that Finland is so much different if the sun is shining. In January the sky was extremely cloudy and dark but in February the weather got nicer and the sun came out again. I could clearly feel the difference in the temperature due to the fact that even though it is quite warm (for example +1°C) there is always a wind rushing through the city and giving you a cold feeling.

It is unbelievable how quick the hours of lightness change during this time of period. When I arrived in Finland there was daylight from around 10am to 3.30pm. In February the amount of daylight during the day increased extremely which means the sun is out from approximately 8am to 5pm. I was told that the daylight stays 5 more minutes every day and also those minutes are increasing and it is slightly getting lighter and brighter every day.

One of the most impressing things about that is that you can even feel this change in the mood of the finnish people. They seem to be so much happier and are no more staying in their houses the whole day but rather going out and enjoying the sun.