The slalom World Cup is still set to go ahead in mid-November.
Finnish Lapland has been seeing unseasonably warm weather in recent weeks. Long-range forecasts suggest temperatures will drop after this week but still stay above the seasonal average.
The situation is highly unusual, said Eetu Rimo, a meteorologist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
“We’ve hardly seen anything like this in 30 years.”
According to Rimo, temperatures in Lapland will fall next week. Daytime highs will be around 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, which is still slightly warmer than usual for the time of year.
“This just highlights how exceptional temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius are at this stage,” he said.
He said the current weather patterns show that, as the climate changes, unusually warmer conditions are becoming so frequent that the exception is increasingly the norm.
The FMI now forecasts temperatures across Finland to be 1 to 2 degrees above average from November through January.
World Cup stays on track
“Customers understand that there’s nothing we can do about the weather,” said Jouni Palosaari of Levi Ski Resort.
Palosaari said the downhill slope does not need to be closed. Even as the snow melts, about two metres of ice remain underneath and will not thaw. More snow can be made once the water and air are colder and the air is drier, which requires temperatures of around -5 degrees Celsius.
“We have a seven-month snow guarantee, and we are sticking to it. Whether that period will lean more towards spring is something we are considering at the moment,” Palosaari said.
Levi has stockpiled snow reserved solely for the slalom World Cup in mid-November.
“We’ve agreed with the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) that the World Cup will go ahead, and we are sticking to that.”
Snow spreading on the World Cup slopes will begin on Sunday, Palosaari said. By Thursday next week, the slope is due to be ready for the FIS snow control inspection.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Record warmth, regional contrasts, mark 2025 in Canada’s Arctic: report, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Unusually balmy June comes on tail of Finland’s record spring warmth, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Weather above normal for 18 consecutive months, The Independent Barents Observer
