Image: Yle

The countdown to the winter holidays is on and the question on many Finnish residents' minds is whether all their Christmases will be white.

Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle's resident meteorologist Toni Hellinen says the weather in Finland will grow warmer over the next few days, but a front of cold air will settle over the country from Wednesday to Saturday, keeping any snow on the ground from melting. Rain and sleet can still interfere with the best-made plans, so he says it's hard to say what will happen for sure.

"It now looks as if there will be plus temperatures in the southern and central areas. There's a chance of rain and sleet showers on Christmas Eve and below-zero temperatures in the north," Hellinen says.

A new front of snow will move eastwards over the country on Monday, starting in the west.

"Southern parts of the country might get up to two centimetres of fresh snow," Hellinen predicts.

The next round of precipitation is expected on Wednesday. Hellinen forecasts that Lapland could receive more than 10 centimetres of snowfall, with up to five centimetres more accruing in more southern areas.

"The snow might be wetter, falling as sleet or rain in the west. But in most of the country, the snow cover will improve over the course of the week. Only the southwestern coastal area is in danger of having a black Christmas."