Image: Derrick Frilund / Yle

Yle meteorologist Toni Hellinen said Sunday that residents of southern Finland can look forward to heavy snow flurries moving in from the west overnight.

According to the weather specialist, flurries could dump up to 10 centimetres of snow in the Uusimaa and Southwest Finland regions by Monday morning.

"On Monday morning in particular, motorists would do well to reserve more time than usual for traffic," Hellinen remarked.

However after the morning rush, the band of precipitation is expected to swiftly move north, trailing snow across the rest of the country.

"However the heaviest pile-up of snow will remain in Uusimaa, where it could reach up to 10 centimetres," Hellinen said, adding that fresh snowfall is expected in the east and north on Tuesday night.

The week’s weather forecast likely provides a glimmer of hope for people looking forward to a traditional white Christmas. The current forecast is predicting snow across the country on Christmas Eve, including southernmost Finland.



"We can expect highs to rise above freezing in the south and on the west coast on Wednesday, but it seems temperatures will quickly fall again. If we get 10 centimetres of snow early in the week according to the forecast, then it probably won’t melt away," the meteorologist commented.



However weather watchers are being advised to check fresher forecasts during the week to get a better sense of what Christmas will look like.

