A heatwave that has lasted since mid-June has hampered grain growth.
Crops and wild berries are suffering from unusual weather, particularly in Southwest Finland. If the drought persists, the quality of blueberries and cloudberries, which are not yet ripe, may deteriorate.
There are hot, dry areas all over Finland, with significant variations in the weather impact on cultivation, even from one farm to the next.
So far this summer, the amount of rainfall has varied greatly from region to region.
"If you look at the whole of Finland, the situation is by no means bad yet. But there may also be severe crop losses due to drought in certain areas. This won't be a peak harvest year," said Max Schulman, an advisor on cereals, protein crops and oil seeds at the Confederation of Agricultural and Forestry Producers (MTK).
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Drought is also affected by soil type and soil growth condition. If conditions are good, the soil retains moisture and supplies it better to the plants.
Many crops were already suffering from heavy spring rains. One of the worst-hit areas is Southwest Finland, where downpours destroyed some crops. Now the re-sowed fields are enduring intense heat, often around 30 degrees Celsius.
"The mood in the grain sector in Southwest Finland is quite gloomy," Schulman told Yle.
Hot weather favours hay, but not broad beans
Hot weather is hard on cereals, for example, but the worst sufferers are protein crops such as peas and broad beans, which have gained popularity in recent years. They cannot withstand long periods of hot, dry weather.
Another affected group is oilseeds such as rapeseed, which have suffered from the exceptional weather.
"This year, those beautifully blooming yellow fields won't be as visible in the Finnish landscape as usual," said Schulman.
For some plants, the early summer weather has been favourable. Grasses cultivated for hay have grown quickly, and the first harvest, now underway in many areas, is bountiful.
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Blueberries flourishing so far
Wild berry pollination went well this year, and the drought has not yet affected the growth of blueberries and cloudberries. They are not yet ripe and thus better able to withstand heat than at the flowering stage.
If the drought continues, though, berry size and quality may decrease.
"It would be a pity if the berry season, which was off to a good start, is undermined by drought and heat," said Outi Manninen, Principal Research Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Lingonberries, on the other hand, are still in the flowering stage and therefore more sensitive to drought. According to Manninen, there are plenty of the small red berries, though, so they probably won't be in short supply this year.
Showers likely by mid-week
An ongoing hot period has caused a drought throughout the country, but some partial relief may be in sight. From Wednesday on, the likelihood of rain will increase.
However, any rain will likely be in the form of showers, which may not thoroughly dampen the dry soil.
"Continuous rain is needed to properly irrigate the ground. If that happens, the forest fire alert could be lifted," said meteorologist Jesse Heikkilä of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
A forest fire warning is in effect throughout the country, with extremely high risk in Southwest Finland, South Ostrobothnia, Päijät-Häme and the Åland Islands.
After Sunday's high of 32 degrees Celsius in Sodankylä, Finnish Lapland, the FMI is also warning of the heat's impact on those with chronic illnesses and of strong afternoon solar radiation, with an UV index of 6 in many parts of the country.