Finnish car owners in the southern part of the country are racing to change their tyres this week as the first real snow storm of the season looms. Forecasts say the south may see some light snow on Monday night, although it may melt by Tuesday morning.
The north of Finland has already experienced genuine winter temperatures, with Enontekiö in Lapland dipping to -15 degrees Celsius on Sunday night. In the snowiest parts of the north there is already around 10 centimetres of snow on the ground.
Winter tyres are compulsory in Finland from the first of December to the end of February. Studded winter tyres may be used from the start of November to the end of March in Finland, but the time periods may be extended dependent on the weather.
A call-round by Yle journalists found that online booking for tyre-changing services are filling up fast, with some southern garages stating there is a 2-3 week wait for appointments.