Finns are preparing to celebrate Midsummer – known here as Juhannus – with temperatures set to reach 25 degrees Celsius this weekend.
Finland celebrates Midsummer’s Eve – one of the biggest holidays of the year – on Friday. With many people heading out of the cities to celebrate in the countryside, road traffic and other transport is busy on Thursday.
The weather forecast for the long holiday weekend looks close to ideal through most of Finland, following wet, chilly conditions earlier in the week.
In Southern Finland, outbound motorway traffic is expected to pick up around 11am, and peak between 2pm and 6pm, according to Fintraffic.
Backlogs are likely on the main arteries out of the Helsinki region. On the busiest sections of highways around the country, average speeds may drop by 20-30 kilometres an hour.
Roads in Northern Finland are likely to remain busy until late on Thursday evening. There will still be some outbound traffic on Friday morning, but volumes will drop by afternoon, the road traffic centre says.
Police say they will be out in force, monitoring traffic on the roads and waterways.
Warm sunny weather in most of Finland
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) predicts pleasant weather through most of the country for the next few days.
On Friday, daytime highs are set to rise to around 20 degrees Celsius, but will remain in the mid-teens up north. On Saturday and Sunday, the mercury could climb to 25 degrees in some places.
Conditions should be dry and mostly sunny through Saturday, except in the far north, which could get some rain. On Sunday, there is a warning of strong winds in Finnish Lapland and a chance of thunderstorms elsewhere, although the south is expected to remain dry.
Due to the recent rain, wildfire warnings have been lifted, meaning outdoor fires are allowed. However, there is a warning of potentially strong UV radiation which may be strong in some southern and western areas from Saturday through at least Monday.
Sunday brings solstice – and some return traffic
Some holidaymakers will return from Midsummer celebrations on Sunday, but traffic levels will be significantly lower as many people begin their vacations, some remaining in the countryside until early August. Schools reopen around 12 August.
Since 1955, Midsummer’s Day has been celebrated on the Saturday after 19 June. This year that’s 20 June, a day before the summer solstice.
The Finnish name for the festival, Juhannus, refers St John’s Day, which was traditionally on 24 June. Flags are usually flown through the night, from 6pm on Midsummer Eve until 9pm on Midsummer’s Day.
