Finnish winters less icy by century's end: study

(Mika Heittola)

Freezing weather could be a thing of the past in parts of Finland by the end of the century as climate change leads to rising temperatures, Finland's Meteorological Institute said Tuesday.

"Due to climate change, cold winters will become increasingly rare," the agency said in a statement, referring to data from a project it is conducting with the University of Helsinki.

By the end of the century, daily average temperatures in the south and on the western coast of the Nordic country might no longer fall below freezing, and in Lapland, in the north, winters would shorten by one to two months, it said.

"By the end of the century, the average annual temperature is forecast to rise in Finland by two-to-six degrees (Celsius)," it said, adding winters would heat up faster than summers.