The annual ski vacation begins under cold rain clouds.
A low-pressure system will bring freezing rain and snowstorms to many parts of the country from Friday into Saturday, just as schools in the South go on a week-long ski holiday.
annual midterm holiday known as Hytroma In Finnish, nurseries, schools and third-level educational institutions will be closed for one week from mid-February to mid-March, depending on the region.
The tradition began in the 1920s, not only as a way to break up the long spring term from January to June, but also to encourage young people to hone their winter sports skills.
The start of the holidays tends to see mass migration from metropolitan areas to ski resorts further north, with Finland’s transport information agency Finntraffic pointing out that Friday and Saturday will be the busiest days on roads across the country. are doing.
eel meteorologist Matty Hutonen However, it warned motorists of dangerous driving conditions caused by the arrival of low pressure Friday afternoon.
“It’s going to be pretty bad weather,” Huttonen said, adding that he had never seen “this much cold rain” in the forecast.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute also warned of “very poor road conditions” with freezing rain, snow or sleet falling across much of the country on Friday and Saturday.
In addition to the freezing rain, about 20 centimeters of snow is expected to fall in the center by Saturday evening.
Sunday is expected to be sunny but cold, with temperatures around -7 degrees Celsius. This results in slippery conditions across the country, ideal for skiers but unfavorable for motorists and pedestrians.
Yle News explained Finnish ski holiday traditions in this 2019 video.
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