Finland saw a sharp turn to winter with temperatures down to –20°C in Lapland and widespread snowfall, prompting traffic weather warnings in eastern and northern regions.

Heavy snowfall caused widespread power outages in Salla and eastern Lapland, leaving some customers without electricity for over 16 hours as repair crews worked into the evening. Thousands lost power at the peak; even a mobile phone base station went down.

In Rovaniemi, a resident observed globeflowers (Trollius) blooming again in early September, an unusual second flowering for this early-summer species. The rare late bloom drew comment from a botany professor.

During a bear hunt in Posio, Finland, a bear attacked a hunter. Police said the hunt was legal; details were still limited as the investigation began.

Salla’s Ruuhijärvi beach and rug‐washing area is closed through the weekend after a highly poisonous water hemlock was found on the shore, and will be removed by authorities.

Temperatures in Rovaniemi exceeded 30 °C this week, drawing coverage from Reuters and CNN as the Finnish Meteorological Institute warned that Lapland’s all-time heat record could be broken.

A lack of snow in Finland's far north has disappointed tourists and snowmobile safari operators alike.

A lack of snow in Finland's far north has disappointed tourists and snowmobile safari operators alike.

A minor earthquake, described by one resident as "a proper jerk", shook Rovaniemi. Dozens of earthquakes are observed in Finland every year. Typically, however, they are relatively weak, with a magnitude of less than 4.

August 29th was the latest date ever recorded for an over-25-degree day in Finnish Lapland.

A swimming spot in northern Finland had unlikely visitors seeking solace from soaring temperatures.

According to the Natural Resources Institute (Luke), the wolf population is expanding into the south and west – but winter will once more contain their numbers.

There are unusually low numbers of mosquitoes throughout Finland this sweltering summer – and likely fewer than usual next year as well.

As the chart below shows, there’s no let up until early August when the temperatures could start to fall back toward more normal summer levels. Even in Finnish Lapland, the home of Santa, a new heat record of 33.4 degrees Celsius (92 Fahrenheit) was reached on Wednesday.

The highest flood levels in Finland's measurement history are predicted to hit Rovaniemi. The cities of Tornio and Kittilä also expect extensive water damage.

New research finds that ticks are not only becoming more common in Finland but incidents of the tick-borne disease Borrelia - also known as Lyme disease - has grown exponentially in the past 20 years.

Unseasonably cold weather is keeping birds from nesting and delaying the blossoming of wild berry bushes in Finland's north.