Tuesday already brought temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius in Narva during the day, and down to -30 degrees in Northeastern Estonia at night, prompting the Environment Agency (Keskkonnaagentuur) to issue a severe weather warning.

A cold polar air mass had been conveyed to the Baltic countries and Northern Europe by a high pressure over Lapland, where a low of a stunning -40.5 degrees was posted in the Swedish portion of that region.

Overnight Tuesday to Wednesday in Estonia brought temperatures on the mainland of between -18 and -30 degrees, though as is often the case, conditions on the islands were milder at -12 to -10 degrees, though easterlies in gusts up to 18 meters per second would have made things colder.

On the other hand, no snowfall was reported overnight, nor is any forecast for Wednesday, which will dawn clear in the Northern half of the country, cloudier in the Southeast and on Saaremaa.

At around midnight in Narva, the mercury read -27 degrees, while at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning it was barely any milder, at -26.2 degrees.

At that same time, 7 a.m., the temperature was recorded at -18.7 degrees, but with the wind-chill and other factors taken into account, the perceived temperature was -27.4.

Values in other major towns were as follows: Võru -21.8 (with a perceived temperature of -29.6), Tartu -20.8 (perceived temperature -28.0), Viljandi -19.9 (perceived -28.4), Haapsalu -18 degrees (-27.3), Pärnu -17.6 degrees (-27.5) and Kuresaare, Saaremaa's capital, -12.3 degrees.

The same low temperatures remain, particularly in the Northeast (down to -28 degrees), while it will be -19 in Tallinn in the morning, -16 in Haapsalu and Pärnu, again -12 to -10 on the islands, and -20 to -19 degrees in the Center and Southeast.

The (South)Easterlies remain, in gusts on the coast of up to 20 meters per second, making it feel simply cold.

The clear skies daytime will see the disappearance of much of the cloud from everywhere bar Saaremaa, and this prolonged appearance of the sun will help things "warm" up somewhat – to -17 degrees in the capital, -18 to -15 in the Center and Southwest, and -20 in the Southeast and on the shores of Peipsi järv.

Again, the Northeast (-25 to -22) remains the coldest part of the country, and, again, Easterlies of 5-14 meters per second in gusts up to 20 meters per second will render it even colder, particularly in coastal areas.

Overnight the temperature will be much the same, averaging -25 degrees, though some snowfall in the Northeast in particular is likely.

Patches of snow will be seen Thursday and Friday, but the weekend itself is set to be drier. As for average temperatures, these will fluctuate in the coming days, but with an overall trend for milder values, though still very cold and in double figures below zero. The daytime average will rise from -23 on Thursday to -18 on Saturday, then drop slightly on Sunday. Similarly, average nighttime temperatures will range from -25 degrees to -18 degrees, again with the quite wide regional variations to take into account.

Editor's note: This article was amended to include temperature values in various Estonian towns as of 7 a.m. this morning.

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