The first week of Finland's annual mid-term ski holiday, known as hiihtoloma in Finnish, has kicked off with conditions ideal for skiing enthusiasts.
"Monday and Tuesday will see good skiing conditions and little rain," Yle meteorologist Elias Paakkanen said, before warning that a "nasty" change is expected by the middle of the week.
The hiihtoloma holiday sees daycares, schools and third-level institutions close their doors for one week sometime between mid-February and mid-March — depending on the region.
The tradition began in the 1920s as a means of breaking up the long spring semester between January and June, but also to encourage young people to hone their winter sporting skills.
Yle News explains Finland's ski holiday' tradition in this video from 2019.
This year, according to Paakkanen, tracks across the country should be in excellent condition due to the combination of heavy recent snowfall and sub-zero temperatures.
The north of the country — where many Finns traditionally head during the ski holiday — will also see spells of sunshine on Monday and Tuesday, while the rest of the country will remain cloudy.
However, conditions are expected to take a "nasty" turn on Wednesday, Paakkanen noted, with snow showers being followed by a significant drop in temperatures.
"The rest of the week looks set to bring some heavy rain and snow, which could mean poor driving conditions. However, there is still no sign the weather will be as bad as last week," Paakkanen said, referring to the flash floods that hit some cities in the south and east on Saturday, as the video below from Lappeenranta shows.
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