Hello again friends!

As we are making our way through the final week of November, I thought a word from us about what’s been happening might be in order. The month had been pretty typical, but our real news of merit was the timing of the first frost of the season, which also coincided with our first measurable snowfall. Someone at the North Pole decided it would be a great idea to send an arctic blast upon the Nordics…kinda like a reminder of what was heading our way for the next few months! The snowstorm was named Jari and made national, and possibly international news, depending upon where you get your news, although I’m guessing you probably hadn’t heard about it 🙂

We were blanketed by 10 cm of snow, which arrived with gusto and high winds on 20 November. It could have been a logistical SNAFU for many places, but not for Finns. I have to tip my non-existent hat to the snow crews of the Lohjan municipality. They sure run a well-choreographed snow removal effort. The streets were well-plowed and operational without delay. I never really understood why some places get closed down and systems come to a screeching halt, just because of snow…especially in places where such a thing is routine and part of the seasonal norm. I remember many a “snow-day” growing up in Michigan, where schools and universities were closed due to snow. That would be a near impossibility of happening here. It was entertaining to listen to the radio as the hourly reports listed all the latest snow accumulations from various places throughout Finland. Our area ended up with a good 10cm. More accumulated throughout the mid and more northerly regions of Finland. Some people actually lost power!, which is noteworthy for being highly uncharacteristic. Power outages rarely happen here.

Because the snow arrived in one big dumping, a few trees weren’t able to sustain the load and snapped. We saw both small and large trees which suffered damage from the snow and high winds while driving to the market. Nothing too bad at our place. There is one tree that is showing damage, which I think I’ll be able to remedy with screws. It’s a technique I’d never even heard of, but a quick google or YouTube search has quite a few examples of what will work and when this approach can make a difference. Not all breaks/snaps can be repaired this way. Part of the branch must still be attached to the tree. If it’s snapped off completely, carting it away is your only option. I’ve used this approach before to mend other similar snaps with success. Fingers crossed!

Before the snow started falling, we enjoyed fantastic seasonal color from various trees and bushes, this Acer Griseum, Paperbark Maple (Kuparivaahtera) looked especially fantastic in shades of apricot orange. It was eye-catching and so lovely through October and into November.

With the arrival of the northerly blast of cold air, we achieved our first frost right on cue. Frosty on 19 November, as the next photo shows.

That’s the same tree as the previous photo, just a few weeks and much colder weather later.

The following day, on 20 November, the snow started falling, and started piling up. This is around 14:30 in the afternoon, and the street to our house had already seen a few drivers out and about.

Later, I took this picture, which shows the accumulating snow really starting to collect on the trees and bushes as the snow continued to come down.

Temperatures had been pretty mild until the frost arrived, but with only a day to make the adjustment, most bushes and trees simply weren’t fully hardened off and the weigh of all that snow, combined with those high winds from Jari snowstorm, proved just too much.

Yesterday, it started raining and with the combination of the slight uptick in temperature and all the rain, the snow began to rescind and give way. The sound of crashing snow sliding off the roof was a common sound later in the afternoon. I went to bed with nearly 4cm of snow remaining from the original 10cm from the storm. This morning, there are only light patches of scattered snow littered on the grass. We are once again snow-free, at least for the time being.

I saw this photo of the weather systems over Europe and was reminded of the song, ‘Dueling Banjos’ for some reason.

Now, those two low-pressure systems seem to be dueling it out over which one will be the larger event. As you can see, the northern rush of cold air continues to stream south, but Finland is now slightly warmer due to the rush of warmer air flowing north from the continent. This map might confuse many who are unfamiliar with looking at a map of the EU – it’s straight from the famous Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) who so kindly also post in English language which allows yours truly to keep abreast of all the weather happenings!

Updated 25.11.2024 at 15:17.

The map is based on weather observations at the given time. Meteorologist’s analysis on the weather conditions is also included.

As the final days of November tick off the calendar this week, I’m going to enjoy the slightly warmer temperatures, even though it’s a bit drizzly outdoors. There will be plenty of time for snow and winter. For now, things are just fine with me!

Hope your days are pleasant and filling you with good feeling. Until next time ❤