Spring Has Sprung in Scandinavia

March weather in Scandinavia and Finland normally means snow and below freezing temps, but not this year! Early spring brings a sigh of relief.

This time last year, my husband and I were driving from Helsinki to Lahti, Finland for a weekend of winter sports and saunas. The sun was shining but temperatures were in the 20s (-3 to -6 Celsius) during the day and not much different at night. We had a great weekend navigating snow covered, frozen lakes on nordic skis, walking our dog through snowy forest trails, and taking saunas at night to stay warm. This year, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo are seeing sunny days, spring-like temperatures in the 40s and 50s, and the snow is virtually gone from the landscape.

Weather is a huge topic of conversation in these parts, mostly because it is so cold for most of the year, and it is incredibly dark for a good three or four months per year. I noticed last year, and I am noticing this year, that when the weather breaks people come out of their shells a bit. Their moods seem lighter, they seem slightly less dour, and people spend more time outside basking in the sunlight. When spring finally descended upon us last year I thought they were making a big deal out of nothing, but this year I totally get it! Four months of darkness was more than enough. While it didn’t snow as much this year as last year, I welcome the warmer temperatures, which melt the ice that stubbornly cling to the sidewalks and parks until normally mid-April, making a walk to the store a treacherous undertaking.

This morning at the dog park I was talking with a fellow dog owner about the wonderful weather we’ve been having. He predicted that winter will try to rear its ugly head one last time, because that’s what always happens whenever spring tries to arrive in March. Last year I spent the mid-April Easter weekend skiing in Lahti, enjoying the sun and the snow. Let’s hope this Easter morning that when I invite friends for brunch, it will be warm enough for us to sit in my glass enclosed balcony with the sun streaming in the windows, listening to the birds sing.