Climate

The climate in Kuusamo is vastly different between winter and summer with the average temperature for the year being -0.3C.

Winter

The temperatures in winter are well below freezing, January is usually the coldest month with the average temperature being -14C, however temperatures as cold as -25C are not uncommon during this month.

With snow covering the ground for around 200 days of the year from late October until mid to late May, Kuusamo is one of the snowiest areas in Finland with 80-90cm of snow at the height of the snowy season.

We are just 37 miles south of the Arctic Circle and as such experience very short days in the middle of winter with as few as 3 hours of daylight per day in December, the sun not coming over the horizon at all.  These are the blue days of winter, where everything is cast in an eerie, beautiful shade of blue and a time photographers flock from all over the world to capture on film.

The rivers and lakes freeze over in winter, and are safe to walk and drive over. There is one road in Kuusamo centre that is only open during the winter months as it crosses a lake without use of a bridge. Skiing, walking and driving snowmobiles over lakes are all considered normal activities here in the north of Finland during winter.

Spring

By April we already have 17 hours of daylight, more than the rest of Europe, nd the migrating water birds start to return to the area as the water ways begin to break open, giving them somewhere to live.

This is some of the best skiing time here in Lapland, between March and May, when the sun shines down on you and the temperatures raise  and yet the snow stays deep and perfect for carving.

Summer

The month of May is a wet month when the winter snow melts but summer comes fast with the average temperature for June being 15C, with day time temperatures of in the 20′s not uncommon.

In the summer we experience the opposite of winter darkness and by Midsummer at the end of June we have 24 hours of daylight. This is a wonderful time of year where everything is green and plants grow inches over night, animals come out from their hibernation, the area fills with birds and the place seems so much more alive than it does in the winter.

After midsummer is the time of year when the mosquitoes come out. How they possibly survive through the frozen winters I have no idea.

The good news it that the mossies can be kept at bay. Read more about the mosquitoes in Lapland and how to avoid being bitten.

Autumn

Autumn is a very popular time to visit.  The temperatures can still be quite warm, the mosquitoes have all but gone and the trees are turning the most magnificent shades of reds, oranges and yellows.  When you stand on the top of a hill and all you can see as far as the eye can see is trees, this is an awe inspiring sight.  A sight to be matched only by the skies which can give you the most tremendous sunset displays in the early evening.