Next 7 departures
- TueOct 13
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 1–5°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy5°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy3°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Partly sunny2°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Sunny1°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Sunny2°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Partly sunny4°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Partly sunny4°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Mostly sunny3°C - WedOct 14
CautionLight rain near Pihtipudas around 11:15 AM EEST. Also at 3 other checkpoints.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy6°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Rain5°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Light rain4°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Light rain3°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Rain3°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Rain7°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Light rain3°C - ThuOct 15
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–10°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy8°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy7°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy7°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy7°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Cloudy7°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Cloudy8°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Cloudy6°C - FriOct 16
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 8–11°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy11°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy10°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy9°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy9°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Cloudy10°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Cloudy9°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Mostly sunny8°C - SatOct 17
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 3–12°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Cloudy12°C Lahti8 AM EEST Rain10°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy9°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy7°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy6°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Cloudy6°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Cloudy5°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Mostly sunny3°C - SunOct 18
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 2–6°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Partly sunny6°C Lahti8 AM EEST Cloudy4°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Sunny2°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Mostly sunny2°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Mostly sunny2°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Mostly sunny4°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Mostly sunny5°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Sunny2°C - MonOct 19
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 0–6°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Helsinki7 AM EEST Sunny3°C Lahti8 AM EEST Sunny0°C Jyväskylä9:45 AM EEST Cloudy1°C Pihtipudas11:15 AM EEST Cloudy3°C Kärsämäki12:15 PM EEST Cloudy3°C Oulu1:30 PM EEST Cloudy6°C Kemi2:45 PM EEST Cloudy6°C Rovaniemi4:15 PM EEST Cloudy3°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
- Jyväskylä, FinlandKm 269 · 2 h 49 min 108 melevation
- Pihtipudas, FinlandKm 404 · 4 h 20 min 117 melevation
- Kärsämäki, FinlandKm 483 · 5 h 11 min 127 melevation
- Oulu, FinlandKm 607 · 6 h 35 min 40 melevation
- Kemi, FinlandKm 711 · 7 h 46 min 29 melevation
- Rovaniemi, FinlandKm 829 · 9 h 14 min 117 melevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rain, at Helsinki, Pihtipudas and Rovaniemi.
| Month | Helsinki Helsinki (Kaisaniemi) station · 4 m | Pihtipudas Viitasaari station · 132 m | Rovaniemi 85 m | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °C | Precip (mm) | High / low °C | Precip (mm) | High / low °C | |
| Jan | -1° / -6° | 53 | -5° / -10° | 39 | -7° / -15° |
| Feb | -1° / -6° | 38 | -4° / -11° | 32 | -6° / -14° |
| Mar | 2° / -4° | 34 | 1° / -7° | 32 | -1° / -10° |
| Apr | 8° / 1° | 34 | 7° / -2° | 31 | 6° / -3° |
| May | 15° / 6° | 38 | 14° / 4° | 47 | 13° / 3° |
| Jun | 19° / 11° | 60 | 19° / 10° | 65 | 18° / 9° |
| Jul | 22° / 15° | 57 | 22° / 13° | 80 | 22° / 12° |
| Aug | 20° / 13° | 82 | 20° / 12° | 66 | 19° / 10° |
| Sep | 15° / 9° | 56 | 14° / 7° | 56 | 13° / 5° |
| Oct | 9° / 4° | 73 | 6° / 2° | 57 | 4° / -1° |
| Nov | 4° / 0° | 69 | 1° / -3° | 48 | -1° / -6° |
| Dec | 1° / -3° | 58 | -2° / -7° | 46 | -4° / -11° |
1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): HELSINKI KAISANIEMI AWS, FI (FI000000304, 4 m); VIITASAARI HAAPANIEMI, FI (FIE00144557, 132 m); ROVANIEMI RAUTATIEASEMA, FI (FIE00146241, 85 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 Rovaniemi 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 Rovaniemi?
829 km (515 miles), about 9 hours of driving without stops, by way of Route 4. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
How cold is Rovaniemi in January?
Rovaniemi averages a high of -7°C and a low of -15°C in January (1991–2020 averages).