Finland is set to experience unseasonably mild temperatures on Thursday, with forecasts of plus 6 degrees Celsius for southern and central parts of the country.
Such readings in January are quite exceptional, according to Yle meteorologist Matti Huutonen, when normally the temperature in these areas is below freezing.
Thursday's temperatures in Central Finland will be about 10 degrees above average for this time of year, Huutonen noted.
The warm front is caused by two factors. An area of low pressure in the North Atlantic is leading to higher temperatures across the northern hemisphere, while a high pressure front in Central Europe is directing dry and relatively warm winds over the mountains of Norway, creating the so-called 'föhn wind' effect.
The devastating fires in the Los Angeles region this past week have been attributed in part to the effect of the föhn winds, although they are called the Santa Ana Winds in the US. The strong downslope winds have fanned the flames of forest fires in the region.
In Finland, the föhn winds can see air temperatures rise by about 5 degrees Celsius above expected readings for the time of year.
Although Finland will be warmer than usual on Thursday, Huutonen said it is unlikely there will be a new all-time heat record for January — which was set in 1973 when a weather station on the Åland islands recorded a temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius.
Huutonen added that temperatures are expected to drop back to more seasonably-cold levels on Friday.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has also issued a warning to pedestrians that very slippery footpaths are expected from midnight on Thursday due to excess water forming and then freezing on pavement surfaces.
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