Exceptional Nordic heatwave stumps tourists seeking shade

HELSINKI:

Nordic countries are relieved after battling an exceptional heatwave which shattered the hopes of foreigners seeking to cool off in the far north -- a disappointment meteorologists warn is likely to be repeated.

Tourism has been on the rise in Nordic countries in recent years, driven in part by the trend of "coolcations" -- where tourists flee the heat of the Mediterranean for milder temperatures in the north.

But this year record-breaking temperatures in July dashed tourists' hopes of escaping the intense heat.

On Monday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said in a statement that the country had just emerged from 22 days of temperatures over 30C -- the longest such heatwave since records began in 1961.

July was also the third hottest month recorded in Norway since records began in 1901, with temperatures 2.8 degrees Celsius higher that the seasonal average nationwide, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

A two-week heatwave, between July 12 and 25, was also the hottest ever recorded in the country.

So-called "tropical nights", where the temperature doesn't drop below 20C, have become commonplace in the region.

The unusually high temperatures have been a shock to tourists seeking to escape the heat elsewhere.

Moussaab El Bacha, a Stockholm resident, told AFP about his parent's surprise when they came over from Morocco to visit.

"They were actually quite surprised by the intensity of the heat here. They had expected a cooler break from the Moroccan summer, but instead, it felt like the heat followed them all the way to Sweden," he said. AFP