Snow in Lapland / Saariselkä / May
Snow likely. By mid-May there was snow on the ground in Saariselkä in 6 of the last 10 winters, typically 32 cm. Early in the month that was 10 of 10 winters, by the end of May 2 of 10.
Measured at Inari Saariselkä matkailukeskus by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. A solid cover of 20 cm or more was there in 6 of the last 10 winters.
How the snow builds up (or melts) during May, over the last 10 winters.
| Date | Any snow | 20+ cm | Typical depth | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May | 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 62 cm | 26–114 cm |
| 15 May | 6 of 10 | 6 of 10 | 32 cm | 0–95 cm |
| 31 May | 2 of 10 | 1 of 10 | 0 cm | 0–22 cm |
Daily temperatures at Inari Saariselkä matkailukeskus over the last ten Mays.
Tours you can book for your trip. Husky and snowshoe tours need a proper snow cover, so check the numbers above.
Affiliate links: if you book through them, Snow in Lapland may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Free alerts when Saariselkä has a proper snow cover, when a big snowfall is on the way, and a weekly update until your trip.
By 15 May there was snow on the ground in Saariselkä in 6 of the last 10 winters, typically 32 cm. A solid cover of 20 cm or more was there in 6 of 10.
The average daily high in May is about 9 °C and the average low about 0 °C. The coldest night in the last ten Mays reached -15 °C.
On 15 May the sun rises around 02:51 and sets around 23:23 in Saariselkä: about 20 h 32 min of daylight.
Hardly: in May the nights in Lapland are too light to see the northern lights.