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School Weather News 1999
Thu, 28 Jan 1999 12:01:20 +0000
Hi again! Arctic airmass keeps staying here in Northern Finland, the
unofficial record is now -57 degrees, according to the local radio
station. Two digital thermometers in a village near the Russian
border gave exactly the same readings!! We have here in Rovaniemi now
-46.5 C, my car (Mazda 323) was a bit stiff. The brakes and
suspension were gone, and most of the steering too.
Kari Mikkola
Rovaniemi
The recent focus upon low temperatures has prompted me to point out
that mercury-in-glass thermometers, which are used in normal
meteorological practice, cannot be used in very cold weather. The
freezing-point of mercury is -38.9 deg C --- and temperatures in
northern Scandinavia have recently been well below that. The freezing
point of the alcohol used in thermometers is -114.4 deg C.
Malcolm Walker
From: "Wili" Subject:
New record once again in Finland !
Vora-Oravais-Maxmo
Hogstadieskola, Finland
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 12:21:41 +0200
Hi, and a very beautiful winter morning. When I yesterday reported
about the new national low record in Finland, I finished with a wish
of a warm night. I didn´t expect this morning to be as it turned
out.
A new national low record last night in Kittila; -51,5 C and numerous
power cuts. Here in Vora we also woke up without electricity. A main
power line 400 KW)here in Vora was broken due to the low temp. at
5,30 AM. For 3 hours and 40 minutes main part of Vora county had no
electricity at all. The outside temp. was -35 C. A local, unofficial,
reading reported -41 C, on three thermometers. Here inside our
schoolbuilding we have +13,5 C at the moment!
A waterpipe has frozen and start leaking above our school kitchen, so
the water is dropping on the froor.
If you wonder how we get cars started in this weather, I can inform
you that since years most of the old and practicly all new cars have
a plug installed in the engines watersystem. This plug is then
connected to the main electric power system so the engine will be
heated up 1-2 hours before you start. This is very common in
Scandinavia. The cars also have a more powerful heating system then
the ones delivered to Spain or Malta.
I wish you a pleasent day!
Best Regards...........Wili, Finland
From: "Christer Helander"
Subject: Unofficial low temperature record in Sweden
Bor's School, Bor,
Sweden
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 18:53:14 +0100
Dear MetLink friends
The cold air from Siberia has reached southern Sweden as well. The
early morning was cold, -14ºC, here. The weather news from
nothern Scandinavia are at the first page of all Swedish papers. From
Karesuando, a willage situated at the border to Finland, the
weatherstation reported -49.0ºC , Wed 27 Jan.
According to local sources of good reliability it was even colder
,-54ºC at the churchyard at that night. It may be a unofficial
low temperature record for Sweden. The official record is
-52.6ºC from Arjeplog in February 1966. Although it is dangerous
to be outdoors, people must use their cars. The recommendation is a
speed limit of 80-100 km/h. Otherwise the radiators will break
down.
Best wishes
Christer Helander
Bor´s School, Sweden
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 09:53:23 -0000
Vora-Oravais-Maxmo
Hogstadieskola, Finland
Dear MetLink friends
Here's more news from Willi in icebound Finland.
I would like to add two things related to this extreme cold. One
negative and one positive aspect! Yesterday Finland consumed more
energy than we had EVER DONE before. What takes so much more energy
when it´s cold, and what takes more energy when it´s
warm?
One positive aspect that I heard of in this morning's news is that
finns, normally very slow starters when it comes to conversation with
strangers, have probably lowered their level to begin to talk with
each other in buses and trains! People talk much more, especially
about the cold weather.
The Times Newspaper Jan 29, 1999
FROM BIRGITTE HYGEN IN OSLO
A SEVERE cold snap has hit much of Scandinavia, gripping Norway,
Sweden and Finland in some of the lowest temperatures recorded here
this century. Schools were closed, shops and post offices abandoned,
streets deserted and electricity frequently cut off as people
struggled to keep warm. In northern Norway near the Russian border
the temperature fell to minus 56C (minus 69F) in one village - the
lowest for 100 years. In the Finnish town of Pokka, where the
temperature was minus 51C, even hardy sledge dogs were allowed to
sleep inside. Power cuts left many homes without heat for up to five
hours. "We wondered how to spend the night, but then we remembered
the sauna in the basement is wood heated," said one resident. In
Karasjok, high in the Arctic Circle, temperatures fell to minus 51.2C
- just fractionally short of the all-time record of minus 51.4C
endured in 1886. Television reporters demonstrated how cold it was by
throwing cups of warm water into the air where it became a cloud of
ice crystals before reaching the ground. A plane bound for Oslo from
Alta in the North was left frozen to the runway. Mobile telephone
networks collapsed. Most people stayed in good spirits and marvelled
at each record. The severe cold weather has been blamed on winds
blowing in from Siberia. Forecasters say the cold will persist over
the next few days. Moscow: Parts of Russia have experienced
their coldest weather this century, the Russian Weather Service said.
Temperatures below minus 40C in Archangel paralysed drawbridges over
the North Dvina River, keeping some ships out of
harbour.(Reuters)
From: "Christer Helander"
Subject: Winter problems in Sweden
Bor's School, Bor,
Sweden
Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1999 18:55:43 +0100
Dear MetLink friends,
We would like to describe some new weather problems which occurred in
the province of Jamtland, situated in the middle of Sweden. In two
days the temperature rose from -40 to +7 deg Celsius! At the same
time there was severe fog in almost the whole of Sweden. The snow we
had became very wet and heavy, and the result was that many trees
tipped over and others were broken. The serious thing was that the
trees fell over the high-voltage cables. We have lot of them in our
country. Many people did not get electricity for quite a long
time.
Regards from Christer
Bor´s School
From: Moritz Royr,
Kristelig Gymnasium, Oslo,
Norway
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 09:44:53 +0100
Dear MetLink Friends.
I wish to share with you some thoughts about the extremely low
temperatures we have had in Scandinavia these last days, and problems
connected to precipitation registrations when it is snowing.
The northernmost counties of Sweden, Finland and Norway have had
temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius the last week. Our
friends in Finland have told us about the situation and the problems
they have met in the northern part of Finland. We have seen the same
problems in the northern part of Norway.
But be aware of the cooling effect because of the wind, the
windchill. Sure, it is really a cold experience to stay outdoors such
a day, even if it happens to be calm air. Then it is windy, it feels
much colder.
For instance, on the 27th of January in Kirkenes (close to thr
Russian border, at the cost), there was -36 degrees and a windspeed
of 15 km/h. This will be felt as if it was a bit colder than -44
degrees, may be as low as 50 degrees.
The table I have gives thermometer values only down to -30
degrees.
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From: Mika Vanhanen Eno
Primary School, Eno, Finland
Subject: Coping with cold
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 07:05:04 -0000
Here is a question from Alfred Mifsud at
Achille Ferris Primary
School, Malta. Please will our friends in Scandinavia provide
answers and tell us all. They are interesting questions.
Incidentally, a British newspaper asked me these same questions
today. They are sending two reporters to Finland to ask the people
there.
QUESTIONS >>>>>
I would like to ask my friends in Vora and maybe others. How can you
manage to cope with a very low temperatures, especially when they are
around -40 to -50? What happens to the streets? How do you go to
work? What is the danger of frostbite? Here in Malta, we were
freezing with 2 degrees c. We probably would become statues.
Here's a response from Mika about coping with cold weather. Thanks,
Mika.
RESPONSE: COPING WITH COLD IN FINLAND >>>>>
In winter we have big differences in temperature. People who live on
the coast have mild winter and we living in the East have it much
more colder. And people who live in North have coldest.
We are so used to cold temperatures. In the Eno area, annual mean
temperature is 2,1 degrees Celsius! Winter lasts here about five
months. When the temperature is near -40 it's not so nice. We go to
work despite cold. Every morning our cars get electricity to warm
motors. And you must have syntethic oils! Students from Los Alamitos,
California asked how many layers of clothes do we have. Well, when
it's near -30C we have about 4 layers. Students are allowed so stay
in when it's lower than -20C. Danger of frostbite exists but because
we are so used to cold we adapt our clothing according to the
weather. Heating and pipes can be a problem in winter. Many times
during a cold period many pipes can get frozen and afterwards they
can break.
Many people in the East of Finland (they call this place periferia,
as it is....) use wood stoves or ovens. Personally we have it warm 3
times a week in winter. Birch isn't the best of woods! If you'd like
to know about winter in our latitude ( 62N) you could check our
winter research called "A LoNG Winter" Winter on Latitude 62n
Locally, Nationally and Globally. We also investigated how people
feel in winter globally between latitudes 60 and 70N.
This site can be found here:
www.eno.fi/enoaa/projektit/talvi/freimit.htm
It is in English.
There is one thing we Finns ( and I bet Scandinavians too) really
hate in winter: too much snow. It was just this morning I woke up to
move snow from my yard. Last winter snow depth here was 95cm!
From:
education@royal-met-soc.org.uk
Subject: Snow
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 11:26:29 -0000
Dear MetLink friends My review of Friday 5th February contains an
example of hearsay evidence and, as is so often the case with hearsay
evidence, it is incorrect. Many thanks, Mika, for correcting the
report of Helsinki's snow depth being almost a metre. At the best of
times, it isn't easy to measure snow depth, but when the snow has
been piled up beside city streets it is difficult to make accurate
estimates, especially when the person making the estimate is doing so
from inside a car!!
Here is Mika Vanhanen's message:
"I just would like to comment someone's report of snow depth in
Helsinki. As you know people are not always objective. It was said
that in Helsinki snow depth is almost a metre! Yesterday snow depth
was 8 cm in Helsinki. There are some places in the north of Finland
where snow depth is over 50 cm. In Eno it was 48 cm yesterday. Real
snow depth is not the same, as a lot of snow moved to one place.
At the moment, a very special world championships are held here,
biathlon. Who knows this sport? Tow sports, cross- country skiing and
shooting together. But this cold seems to be problem. If it's colder
than -20C they won't start races."
Thanks again, Mika, for this information.
Whilst on the subject of snow: .....
A city which often experiences large falls of snow in winter is
Buffalo, USA.
The reasons involve (i) cold air being warmed as it passes over Lake
Ontario and/or Lake Erie and thereby made unstable (so that
convective clouds form), (ii) unstable air being lifted when it meets
the escarpment which lies near to Buffalo (the escarpment containing
the Niagara Falls).
The city with the biggest snow budget is, I believe, Montreal,
Canada.
An environmental problem which has occurred at Montreal is that the
snow cleared from the streets used to be dumped from lorries into the
St Lawrence. This practice certainly used to happen up to about five
years ago but may well have ceased now. The problem was that the snow
contained chemicals. The salt that is used to keep streets free of
ice and snow (a) runs off streets into drains (b) contaminates the
snow which is cleared from streets when heavy falls occur. The St
Lawrence was thus becoming contaminated with the salt put on roads
(and with the oil and rubber deposited on roads by vehicles).
Chemicals are also used at airports in cold regions to prevent ice-
formation on the wings of aircraft. It was recognised in the early
1990s that these chemicals were contaminating streams and rivers near
to airports (and , in some places, reaching supplies of drinking
water). At some airports now, drainage arrangements are such that
most of the chemicals are collected and do not reach the local
streams and rivers. I believe I am right in saying that Copenhagen
Airport has been a pioneer in these collection techniques.
Best regards Malcolm