Record cold temperatures are being recorded in Finland and Sweden: it has cooled down to -40 degrees Celsius

In the Sami village of Nikaluokta in northern Sweden, thermometers showed -41.6 degrees Celsius early Tuesday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported.

“This is the coldest temperature so far this winter and it will continue to be quite cold in the north,” said SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist.

Railway station operators in Sweden said that the extreme cold, among other problems, caused significant difficulties for train traffic in the north of the country. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reported that temperatures fell to -30 degrees Celsius in several parts of northern Sweden.

He also warned that snow and wind might lead to dangerous conditions in central and southern Sweden. The second most severe weather warning is in effect from midnight until Wednesday.

In neighboring Finland, this winter’s coldest record was set in Ilivieska, in the northwest of the country, where the temperature dropped to -37.8 degrees Celsius early on Tuesday.

Temperatures below -30 degrees Celsius were recorded in several places in the Arctic Lapland region. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is also suffering from the cold – the temperature is expected to fluctuate between -15 and -20 degrees Celsius throughout this week.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute has warned that the country will experience very cold weather this week, predicting that temperatures might drop below -40 degrees in some parts of the country.

A section of the E18 highway in southern Norway has been closed due to bad weather, police said on the X social network.

Denmark has banned vehicles with light trailers from driving on one major bridge due to strong winds that might affect driving, the Danish Roads Authority said.

The Danish Meteorological Institute reported that heavy snow is expected in the northern part of the country.