The road between Finland’s northwestern arm and Norway was closed indefinitely on Saturday. According to the Finnish Road Traffic Centre, the road was closed due to poor driving conditions in Norway.
Route 21 was closed on the national border at Kilpisjärvi in the large municipality of Enontekiö around noon on Saturday. According to the Traffic Centre, the closure is in effect until further notice and there are disruptions in both directions.
Very slippery for pedestrians and drivers
In northern parts of Norway and Finland, road surfaces have been extremely icy since Friday due to mild weather and rain. The Traffic Centre warned late Friday evening of hazardous driving conditions due slippery surfaces. It updated its warning on Saturday morning, as conditions have remained treacherous.
This past week, northern Finland has experienced unseasonably mild weather.
The forecast calls for more exceptionally warm temperatures in most of the country, with gradual cooling in the north. The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) predicts relatively clear skies over southern and central areas through Sunday, when clouds begin to roll in. Daytime temperatures range between zero and +4 degrees Celsius, dipping overnight to -4.
Northern Finland can expect partly cloudy skies with local snowfall on Sunday and temperatures dropping to between zero and -10 degrees.
The FMI forecasts moderate to strong, gusty winds throughout the country, diminishing on Saturday evening. It has issued a wind warning for northern and eastern parts of the country, with gusts of up to 20 metres a second, as well as brisk winds at sea.
There is also a warning of very slippery pedestrian conditions in some northern and eastern areas.