Too hot for Santa as laplond signed on the heat wave

“Make sure the deer has a lot of water – and do not forget to drink a glass also every hour,” the Santa elf reminds for the next Christmas, because Lapland waves in a record thermal wave.

This is not every day when the father of Christmas renders that he brings his elves about the dangers of the solar focus, but this summer in the north of Finland there is a temperature of about 30 ° C for a few days.

As for Santa, it will remain indoors most of the day – its bright red suit, trimmed with fur, very warm.

“I only go out for swimming in the lake in the woods after 18:00 when the weather began to cool,” he says.

While the Santa’s workshop in Ravaniemia adapts with fun resistance, unusually warm temperatures in the Arctic are a serious business – and scientists indicate climate change as the culprit.

After the extraordinarily cold and rainy spring and early summer, all Finland – including north of Lapland, 500 km (310 miles) over the Arctic circle – suddenly fell into the continuous spell of hot weather.

By July 25, the heat wave in Ravaniam will last 15 days.

In Finland, the thermal wave is defined as a period of at least three consecutive days, when the daily maximum temperature exceeds 25C.

A meteorologist with a meteorologist -Meteorological Institute of Jacque Saver explains that in Lapland, where the temperature more than 30C is very rare, thermal waves, as the present, are exceptional.

“Last time, when Finnish Lapland had a similar long thermal wave in 1972,” Saver says. But even this lasted only 12 to 14 days, depending on the exact location.

“This record is now broken.”

It is not only roovaniemi, which has covered the scorching temperature. Several other weather stations across Lapland have registered their longest thermal waves since the start of records.

The highest heat wave temperature 31.7C was measured in two places, Ylitornio and Sodankylä, earlier this week. This is approximately 10C above the seasonal average for Lapland.

The thermal wave has caused a new concern to accelerate climate change in the Arctic, which warms four times faster than the rest of the earth.

Savel notes that this particular, long thermal wave was not caused directly by climate change. However, he says: “Climate change has influenced: without this the temperature in the last two weeks would be lower.”

Professor Jeff Weller, Chairman of the University of Arctic Research at the Oul University, agrees.

Thermal waves and extreme weather phenomena in the summer and winter have become so frequent that they can only be caused by major changes in the climate system.

“A climate change every day is manifested in extreme and extreme precipitation,” says Professor Weller. “The imprint of climate change on us.”

According to the UN intergovernmental group on climate change, thermal waves are becoming more common due to climate change caused by man.

Extreme hot weather will happen more often – and becomes even more intense – since the planet continues to warm up, the report said.

Extreme heat also affects the famous deer Lapland.

Celebrated worldwide, like Santa’s Santa for Christmas, the northern deer wandering through forests and reservoirs. But because they are subjected to mosquitoes – which bloom in hot weather – the deer are now escaping from roads and villages in search of relief.

“For the northern deer, the only option would be to move to higher elevations, but in the Finnish Lapland the highest height is only about 1000 m (3300 feet),” says Professor Weller.

It adds that since the future in the Arctic will more often there will be more extreme and long thermal waves, “the shepherds of the northern deer can eventually build large sheds to provide a shadow for their animals.”

It is not only Santa and its northern deer. Lapland is traditionally known as the class tourist point – but this year visitors are embarrassed.

“Here it is very hot-30c kills me. I came to avoid warmth,” says Sylvia, a tourist from Prague, visiting Santa’s festive village in Ravani.

“I was expecting a much colder weather and packed the wrong clothes. I have only one short-sleeved T-shirt-I wore it every day.”

It does not help that the days in Ravaniam now make up 20 hours a day, so the sun still shines until after 23:00 – keeping the temperature for longer.

By reducing the shady spot in Santa -Park, this is an Odita from London, which is expected to find a temperature of up to 20C here. “I can barely go beyond the shadow, I feel like I am grove when I do it,” she says.

“Something similar is happening in the UK, but I am very surprised to see it in the Arctic circle,” she says. “The ice and snow are so integral in this entertainment park and the whole Lapland.”

Elina, an elf that works at the Santa post office, also worries about the future of Lapland: “I wonder if the new Heatwaves are new now.”

For Santa, there is an additional problem that you need to wear your heavy costume every day of the year.

At the moment, it goes outside only in the evenings as soon as the air begins to cool down, otherwise it risks getting a thermal stroke in just 10 minutes.

“Of course, hot summer can be very enjoyable for some, but I prefer cold and snow,” he says. “Winter is better.”