Amid record-low temperatures in Finland, a tourist on a trip to the country tried a trick that has been done several times before in freezing weather: throwing boiling water in the air to watch it turn instantly into a cloud of icy dust. This only happens when temperatures are at a level of cold that most places on Earth rarely or never see.
Lauri Untamo, a 49-year-old sales manager from southern Finland, was on holiday in Finnish Lapland with friends when the temperature fell to minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees F) on New Year's Day. He had boiled water in his cabin, which he quickly brought outside and threw it in an arc over his head, managing to escape without burns as the water immediately froze and turned into an icy cloud.
"I had seen videos of the trick on social media or YouTube that it was possible to perform but had never had a suitable frost to give it a try at minus 30 degrees or more," Untamo told Reuters. He and his friends have been enjoying outdoor activities such as Nordic skiing and walking in snow-clad forests.
"We even saw the Northern Lights on a few nights so Lapland has really given its best to us this week," he said.
The Nordic countries have seen extremely cold weather for the past few days, with the lowest temperature in 25 years at minus 44.3 degrees Celsius (-47.74 degrees F) recorded on Friday in Enontekio, further north in the Arctic from Pyhatunturi where Untamo was staying.
According to Euronews, the extreme cold weather in Finland, Sweden and Norway caused traffic disruptions, as rail traffic was impeded and ferry lines were cancelled. The freezing temperatures came after a warmer autumn in most of Europe, which came as 2023 was reported as the warmest year on record.
Meanwhile, electricity consumption in the country has been at a record high for the past few days owing to the extreme cold, and the electricity spot price is expected to hit a record high of 2.35 euros ($2.57) per kilowatt-hour on Friday, Anadolu reported.
(with Reuters inputs)
