ATHENS — Central Europe is experiencing extreme cold temperatures following a hot and dry summer, as well as a warm autumn. Heavy snowfall and flooding are occurring in several European countries, with Finland setting a new temperature record of -44.3 degrees Celsius on Friday (1/5/2024).
The temperature dropped to a record low of -44.3 degrees Celsius in the northwest region of Finland, Lapland, early Friday morning, according to the public broadcasting agency YLE, citing the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The agency noted that temperatures below -42 degrees Celsius have only been recorded three times this century. The extreme weather is also causing transportation disruptions in Finland, including in the capital, Helsinki. The Finnish National Railway (VR) has halted train services on dozens of routes due to the extremely cold weather.
The extreme weather in Finland has led to an increase in electricity consumption, reaching record highs over the past few days. On Friday, the fluctuating electricity prices, driven by high demand, were estimated to reach a record high of 2.35 euros per kilowatt-hour.
In Sweden, the cold weather has caused temperatures in the northern part to drop below -40 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature recorded was -43.8 degrees Celsius at Sweden's northernmost weather station, Naimakka, according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SHMI). The extreme cold and heavy snowfall have also caused chaos on many roads in Sweden, as reported by the public broadcasting agency SVT.
Norway experienced its coldest weather since 2020 on Friday. Temperatures were expected to drop to -20 degrees Celsius in Oslo and -30 degrees Celsius in eastern Norway, according to the public broadcasting agency NHK. Denmark, another Scandinavian country, also experienced temperatures below zero degrees on Friday, following heavy snowfall two days earlier, according to the public broadcasting agency DR.
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