Finland witnessed first hurricane-force winds in sea areas on Friday

HURRICANE-FORCE winds were recorded for the first time ever in the sea areas of Finland on Friday.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) reported that sustained winds of 33.5 metres per second – a hair above the official, 33-metres-per-second definition for hurricanes – at around 9pm on Friday on Kylmäpihlaja, an island located about 10 kilometres off Rauma, Southwest Finland.