Weather | A storm will test Finland on Saturday, weather warnings are in effect in a large part of the country

Size A wind warning is in effect in western and southern Finland on Saturday, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute from the warning map.

The wind may reach dangerous readings in the Gulf of Finland, the Selkä Sea and coastal areas on Saturday. In addition, there are warnings of bad driving weather in the northern parts of the country.

Meteorologist Anna Latvala writes Forecan in the weather blogthat strong gusts can be expected in the Selkä Sea, around the Åland Islands and in the North Baltic Sea, where the wind speed will reach storm figures, i.e. 25–30 meters per second.

According to Latvala, strong gusts also occur in the southern and central parts of the country. The worst winds remain south of the Vaasa–Ilomantsi line. The storm brings with it rains that fall to the ground as water, sleet or snow.

“The storm is weakest in Lapland: the wind will remain weak there, but snow and sleet will come as far as Lapland,” Latvala writes in the Foreca weather blog.

“There will be water in the south, mainly water in the central part of the country, but [lauantai]towards the evening it also rains in some places. In the north, the rain is water and snow,” he continues.

Latvala says that the driving weather will worsen towards the evening due to the rains.

Western and Northern Lapland can survive with the least amount of rain. Saturday will be chilly throughout the country, according to Foreca’s weather blog.

Strongly the storm caused by the low pressure made landfall in Finland already on Friday. It raised the sea water higher than usual in many places.

Meteorologist on duty at the Meteorological Institute Ville Siiskonen said earlier on Friday that the sea water will rise about 80 to 100 centimeters above the average level, depending on the location.

The strong wind also affected the passenger ferry m/s Ejdern, which ran aground west of Torsholma in Brändö, Åland. Åland radio told.

Read more: The archipelago ferry m/s Ejdern, which ran aground, is being escorted to the port of Lapo

During the weekend, the storm may also cause other damage and, for example, power outages.