Next 7 departures
- SatOct 3
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–12°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy12°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Cloudy9°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy9°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy10°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Cloudy12°C - SunOct 4
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 10–12°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy12°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Cloudy11°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy12°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Cloudy12°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy11°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy11°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Sunny12°C - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–14°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy14°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy9°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Cloudy9°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Rain9°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Rain9°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Rain11°C - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 10–13°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy13°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy12°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Partly sunny11°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Mostly sunny11°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Mostly sunny11°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Mostly sunny10°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Partly sunny10°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Partly sunny12°C - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 7–9°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Sunny9°C Lahti8 AM EEST Sunny7°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Sunny7°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Sunny7°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Sunny7°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Sunny7°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Sunny7°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Mostly sunny9°C - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 4–10°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Rain10°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy6°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Cloudy6°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy5°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Rain4°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy5°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy4°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Mostly sunny8°C - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 3–7°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy7°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy5°C Joutsa9 AM EEST Cloudy4°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy4°C Äänekoski10:15 AM EEST Partly sunny4°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy3°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy3°C Oulu1:45 PM EEST Partly sunny5°C
The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.
The route, stop by stop
Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Helsinki (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Helsinki, FinlandStart 38 melevation
- Lahti, FinlandKm 105 · 1 h 3 min 127 melevation
- Joutsa, FinlandKm 201 · 2 h 2 min 116 melevation
- Jyväskylä, FinlandKm 269 · 2 h 49 min 108 melevation
- Äänekoski, FinlandKm 311 · 3 h 17 min 130 melevation
- Pihtipudas, FinlandKm 404 · 4 h 20 min 117 melevation
- Kärsämäki, FinlandKm 483 · 5 h 11 min 127 melevation
- Oulu, FinlandKm 608 · 6 h 38 min 40 melevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rain, at Helsinki, Äänekoski and Oulu.
| Month | Helsinki Helsinki (Kaisaniemi) station · 4 m | Äänekoski Jyväskylä Airport station · 139 m | Oulu Oulu (Vihreäsaari) station · 3 m | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °C | Precip (mm) | High / low °C | Precip (mm) | High / low °C | |
| Jan | -1° / -6° | 53 | -4° / -11° | 43 | -5° / -11° |
| Feb | -1° / -6° | 38 | -4° / -12° | 33 | -5° / -12° |
| Mar | 2° / -4° | 34 | 1° / -8° | 32 | -1° / -9° |
| Apr | 8° / 1° | 34 | 7° / -2° | 33 | 4° / -2° |
| May | 15° / 6° | 38 | 15° / 3° | 43 | 11° / 5° |
| Jun | 19° / 11° | 60 | 19° / 8° | 67 | 17° / 11° |
| Jul | 22° / 15° | 57 | 22° / 11° | 78 | 20° / 14° |
| Aug | 20° / 13° | 82 | 20° / 10° | 67 | 18° / 12° |
| Sep | 15° / 9° | 56 | 14° / 5° | 58 | 13° / 8° |
| Oct | 9° / 4° | 73 | 6° / 1° | 65 | 6° / 2° |
| Nov | 4° / 0° | 69 | 1° / -3° | 53 | 1° / -3° |
| Dec | 1° / -3° | 58 | -2° / -8° | 50 | -2° / -8° |
1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): HELSINKI KAISANIEMI AWS, FI (FI000000304, 4 m); JYVASKYLA LENTOASEMA, FI (FI000002401, 139 m); OULU VIHREASAARI, FI (FIE00145661, 3 m). Precipitation is the monthly total of rain and melted snow, in millimetres. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.
Road conditions
Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Finland rather than repeat them.
- Finland · FintrafficFintraffic road conditions
Check the official forecast from Finnish Meteorological Institute and each road report before you leave.
Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there
Road Travel plans the drive from Helsinki to Oulu with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.
Questions about this drive
How long is the drive from Helsinki to Oulu?
608 km (378 miles), about 6½ hours of driving without stops, by way of Route 4. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
How cold is Oulu in January?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Oulu (Vihreäsaari) (3 m), averages a high of -5°C and a low of -11°C in January (1991–2020 averages).