Each of Finland's four distinct seasons has a charm of its own: the warm summer with daylight almost round the clock; the winter with crisp frost and pure white snow; the autumn with a brilliant blaze of colours; and the spring with delicate shades of green.

Due to the warm Gulf stream, the climate of Finland is considerably milder than at the same latitudes in other parts of the world, and owing to the dry climate it always feels warmer than the thermometer actually indicates. The climates in North, East, South and West Finland are slightly different from each other.

In the north and east the winter is cold but dry, whereas in the west and south coast the winter is quite mild. Temperatures of -20°C are common in many areas, occasionally even in the south. In the north it can get below -30°C. In southern Finland the permanent snow comes around Christmas and melts away by the end of March. In Lapland at the end of November and by May, respectively.

The summer is usually pleasantly warm. The highest daytime temperature often rises to +20°C or more, but rarely exceeds +30°C. The nights are warm too. The summer begins in South Finland at the beginning of June and ends by mid-September. In the far north the summer is short and intensive.

Midnight Sun
At the height of the summer, in the far north of the country the sun does not set at all for weeks on end. Even in southern Finland the interval between sunset and sunrise is only a few hours, and most of this is soft twilight.

Polar Night
In winter the same region north of the Arctic Circle, has a spell of winter darkness known in Finnish as kaamos, when the sun does not rise or hardly rises at all for a couple of months. The white snow cover, however, provides a startling natural "light" of its own and the blueish twilight creates a very special atmosphere.

The Northern Lights
During the dark winter period in Lapland the sky is occasionally embellished by the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, a spellbinding light phenomenon particular to the region above the Arctic Circle.