This Week's (And a Little of Last Year's) Weather
Classic winter conditions returned over the weekend to make the capital area seem lighter and brighter, but conditions are not yet ideal for many.
That includes cross-country skiers (Tartu has only 3 cm of very unsubstantial base with about month to go before the marathon) to farmers (winter rapeseed may be damaged without enough of an insulating layer).
While conditions in Tallinn have resembled a snow globe over the last 36 hours, only 6 cm had fallen as of this morning. Interestingly, an area of the north coast corresponding almost exactly with the boundaries of Lahemaa National Park has received a foot of snow.
More of the same light and fluffy snow is expected this week, as a high-pressure system continues to consolidate over all of northern Europe. Temperatures will drop a few degrees as the week progresses. In general, daytime highs will be -4 to -9 C while nights should see -9 to -13 C. Winds will be light, first from the north, then east in the tail end of the week.
According to some long-range forecasts, the current cold spell could last through January 25.
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The Meteorology and Hydrology Institute has released its recap of 2013, which was notable for its warm spring, summer and autumn.
Highlights and facts:
- May was the second-warmest in the last 50 years (17.0 average temperature). Only May 1993 was warmer (17.6). The average temperature in May broke many local records.
- The summer was also a good one - that is, for fans of summer, not those worrying about climate change. The 17.4 C average was tied with 1999 for second. The record is shared by 2010 and 2011 (18.1 C). The summer also received only 71 percent of long-term average rainfall.
- The highest temperature was 32.5 C on August 8 in Valga, the lowest was -28.7 C on January 19 in Jõgeva, an inland town called the capital of cold weather.
- The highest wind speed was 119.5 kph on Vilsandi, an island off Saaremaa.
- The year had a snowy start, March was the coldest month, and the last of the snow didn't melt until April 20. But despite sleet in late September, the year ended with a December that was tied for second-warmest of the last 50 years, not that it felt "warm" at all.
- Viljandi had 99 days on which the sun did not show itself at all, qualifying it for the cloudiest town.