Saariselkä is a village in the mountainous area of northern Lapland in Finland. It's a popular tourist destination with many winter activities including skiing, hiking and a spa. Many visitors come to the village hoping to catch a glimpse of the unpredictable but magical natural display of the Northern Lights.
has a subarctic climate with short, mild summers with long, cold, snowy winters. Its extreme northerly location and overcast skies lead to very low levels of sunshine in the winter.
Can You See The Northern Lights In Saariselkä?
You'll need dark skies to be able to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). The best months to see it are between January and March on nights that don't have a full Moon.
Saariselkä has specialised resorts away from the light pollution of the town, where you can stay in cosy cabins with glass ceilings to make the most of the spectacular skies. In northern Lapland the lights appear every other night if the skies are clear and in southern Finland, they are visible 10-20 nights a year.
How Often Does It Snow In Saariselkä?
Snow is on the ground for roughly half of the year, most commonly from late November to mid-April. Between December and January, there's an over 80% chance of snow each day.
Climate Change and Snow At Christmas in Finland
In 2018, like much of Europe, Finland had an unseasonably hot summer and autumn. In Lapland snowfall is common between October and April and by November, there's usually a heavy blanket of snow that lasts until mid-March.
But in 2018 the snow didn't arrive until mid-December, much later than usual and it didn't stick because of the warmer ground conditions.
Unseasonably mild conditions are likely to become more common as climate changes cause global temperatures to rise.
Winter Daylight hours and Polar Night
Daylight hours are limited in this season, with just a few hours between 10am and 2pm during the peak winter months. This lack of light in winter is s known as Polar Night. The long dark nights do provide excellent conditions to see the Northern Lights.
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