Tuesday and Wednesday saw record lows of less than -40 degrees Celsius in Finland and Sweden. As a result of the bitterly cold weather, rail traffic in Finland, Sweden, and Norway was impeded by snow, and ferry services were suspended. The Sami village of Nikkaluokta in northern Sweden had temperatures as low as -41.6 degrees Celsius early on Tuesday, according to Swedish broadcaster SVT. The lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years was recorded on Wednesday at -43.6 degrees Celsius in Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka, in Swedish Lapland. Significant problems with train traffic in the Arctic north occurred in Sweden, but travel was also disrupted by the cold in Norway, where ferries ceased operations and a major highway in the south was stopped. Additionally, police in Denmark advised drivers to stay away from pointless travel as wind and snow in the country’s west and north are expected to make conditions dangerous. Authorities in Finland issued a warning that the country would see temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius for the duration of the week. On Wednesday, numerous Scandinavian schools were closed. The freezing temperatures follow a warmer-than-average autumn within the warmest year on record: this is widely considered to be linked to global warming and climate change.
Read more on SVT.se, Euronews.com, DR.dk
