Exceptionally early heatwave hits Finland

HELSINKI: Finland has been experiencing unusually warm weather this May, prompting the Meteorological Institute to issue a heat warning on Monday. Temperatures across large parts of the Nordic nation, the north of which lies above the Arctic Circle, are due to surge above 27C (81 F) starting on Tuesday, the institute said.

“This is probably the first time ever we have issued a heatwave warning in May”, Iiris Viljamaa from the Finnish Meteorological Institute told AFP, adding that such alerts were normally issued in June at the earliest. Scientists say that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming and that these heatwaves are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.