Finland and Sweden set this winter’s cold records as temperature plummets below minus 40

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland and Sweden have recorded the coldest temperatures this winter as thermometers plummeted to minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) as a result of a cold spell prevailing in the Nordic region. In Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by the indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, the thermometer showed minus 41.6 degrees early Tuesday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported. Train operators in Sweden said the cold snap has caused substantial problems to rail traffic in the north, among other issues.  The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has reported temperatures at minus 30 degrees in several locations in northern Sweden. It also issued a warning for snow and wind for central and southern Sweden.