Temperatures reach unusually high levels all over the Barents Region. Kirkenes, on the coast of the normally cool Barents Sea, had 29 degrees Celsius Friday afternoon. The same temperatures were measured in all the way from Tornio in the south to Lake Inari in the north of Finnish Lapland on Thursday. That is the highest temperature ever recorded in Lapland in May.
YLE reports that temperatures are expected to rise above 30 degrees Celsius in western Lapland during Friday.
The Norwegian Metrological Institute’s Yr.no weather service says the number of summer days, meaning days with over 20 degrees Celsius, have already passed earlier records for a number of locations in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, Norway’s three northernmost counties.
NRK reports about a new record of sun-hours during May with more than 354 sunny hours.
New heat record for May was also measured in Murmansk, on Russia’s Arctic Kola Peninsula on Friday with a temperature of 28,3 degrees Celsius, just over the previous record of 28,2 from 1920.
In comparison, Rome has 18 and Palermo has 20 degrees Celsius on Friday.