The last time the water levels were this high in some places was in the late 1990s or early 2000s. According to the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), floodwaters will likely spill onto fields and roads in parts of southern and western Finland, but not into buildings.

The state rail company VR has said that it will substitute buses on some of the cancelled rail trips.

A new precipitation system is approaching Finland from the south-west, bringing wet, heavy snow or sleet to southern and some central areas of the country, possibly causing headaches for commuters on Friday morning.