Due to its geographical position in the far north of Europe, Finland has very cold winters. However, the other seasons are warmer than might be expected due to the warming influence of the Baltic Sea and Atlantic Gulf Stream, and summer temperatures can sometimes rise to over 30°C, even in the far north. The mildest climate is to be found on the southwest coast.

Typical summer temperatures are between 13°C and 22°C in the south of the country, and just slightly lower in the north. Spring and autumn are usually fairly mild, but from November to mid-March temperatures often fall to around -30°C in the south and -50°C in the north. Rainfall is moderate and irregular throughout the year, and there is frequent snowfall throughout the country from around October to May.

Lapland, in the far north of the country, is the land of the Midnight Sun, where daylight lasts for 24 hours for a period of around 10 weeks in summer, while even in the far south it never gets completely dark at this time. Conversely, there are long periods of darkness in winter, when the sun doesn't rise above the horizon for around 8 weeks in the north, while southern Finland only sees a few hours of daylight each day.