The ski holiday week is starting in frosty conditions, according to weather forecasting service Foreca.
The recent cold northerly airflow will continue, accompanied by variable cloud cover.
"There will be occasional breaks in the clouds, allowing the sun to peek through at times. Snowfall will mostly be light with flurries in many areas but accumulations will be minimal," explained Foreca meteorologist Joonas Koskela.
Temperatures over the weekend will range from -5 degrees Celsius in southern and western Finland to -15 degrees in the north.
The coldest overnight lows in the coming days are expected in the early hours of Tuesday, when temperatures in the east and north could plunge to between -20C and -30C.
Skies are expected to clear around midweek, according to Foreca, which said temperatures will stay below freezing.
According to Koskela, the cold will continue across most of the country through the end of next week, although temperatures in the southwest may rise to around zero on Wednesday.
Schools in Uusimaa, Southwest Finland, Satakunta and Åland start their holidays on Monday. The hiihtoloma holiday sees daycares, schools and other educational 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.
The All Points North podcast went ice swimming and nature walking to find the best ways to stay active during the long Finnish winter.
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
