It was a sweltering + 44C last day of May in Riyadh Saudi-Arabia today. Meanwhile back in my home country Finland, they’re experiencing temperatures around+ 10C, which is actually quite normal for this time of year even though it might sound freezing cold to Saudis.
Despite it being only 10 degrees above zero, I bet you, there will be Finns driving around in their convertibles with the roofs open, wearing shorts and sandals and the bar terraces will be full of people drinking while soaking in the sun. It doesn’t really matter how much the outside temperature is, as long as it’s May, June or July, that equals summer for Finns and making the most out of it!
Going to the beach or park for sunbathing when it’s 15C out is seen as completely acceptable and normal. Finnish summer is very short and unpredictable, temperatures can range from 0-35C. Believe it or not, they will issue a heat wave warning in Finland when the temperature raises above 25C. I have to admit us Finns are a bit crazy when it comes to temperature extremes. The Saudis might just be our polar opposites when it comes to tolerating heat and cold. I made this tongue in cheek temperature chart from which you can really see what I’m talking about :).jpg)
Have a nice summer everyone and stay cool!
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Hello there! I’m Laura, the founder of Blue Abaya- the first travel blog in Saudi Arabia, established in 2010. Travel has always been my passion- so far I’ve visited 75 countries and I’m always on the lookout for new adventures inside and outside of Saudi Arabia! Follow my adventures in Saudi and beyond on instagram: instagram.com/blueabaya
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If I’m passing out, it’s not because of the cold or heat….it’s because I’m laughing so hard! Thank you for making my day!
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
بسم الله ما شاء الله
You have a crazy sense of humor! Had a great laugh :-)
thank UmmGamar! Glad it made you laugh!
Hi Layla,
love your blog though I rarely comment!
What happened to your each summerly visit to Finland ?
Aren’t you travelling this year ? I so look forward to those posts as hav espent significant time in Sweden in past :)
love,
Smita (from India)
Thank you so much Smita! We are going to be traveling there soon :)
I am very happy to hear that :)
have loads of fun in these vacations… the weather will be blessed in Scandinavian countries at this time .
Hi Layla, thank you for your blog, I really enjoy reading it! I’m also Finnish and living in the Middle-East, and actually just got back home from Finnish holiday. It really was just like you said, the day we, me and my fiancé, arrived, it was +13 (and the warmest it got during the entire 2-weeks holiday was +22) and people were wearing shorts and t-shirts! Even I couldn’t, I guess I’m already so used to more war temperatures.
My poor fiancé was wearing winter jacket:) I told him to bring it, even tough he didn’t believe me when I told him before the trip, that it would be a lot more colder than where we live, even in the summer. I can’t tell you howe happy he was for listening to me on this one:)
Sorry, on my previous comment I Of course meant “warm” temperatures…
Hello Layla! I am an American expat (living in Jubail). I was looking for other expat bloggers living in Saudi and came across your blog. I’ve had fun reading through several of your posts and look forward to reading more in the future! I particularly liked this post as I lived in Finland briefly several years ago and so I can relate to the temperature extremes. Thanks for the laugh. :-)
Allison
http://windingmywaythroughlife.blogspot.com/
[…] We’ve been lucky this summer, the weather has been super amazing all over Finland. The temperature has been closer to +30 than the average +18C of a typical Finnish summer. Finns are known to be hardy and we don’t get bothered by cold weather during the summer, in fact it’s not uncommon at all to see people enjoying swimming and sauna in just +10. Check out here what Finnish cows do when temperatures hit +5c! […]
Excellent.
thanks!
I am pakistani working in Riyadh.I have studied in Greek Cyprus for four years way back in late 80s.I like posts in your website.
thank you Syed and welcome to Blue Abaya blog, hope to see more of your comments in the future!
LOL made me laugh, especially the last one!!
Last New year it was around 2 degrees celsius and I saw someone driving a motorcycle :D WTF: Welcome To Finland.
Also in the army we had to sleep in a car one night on the winter camp. It was -30 degrees outside. We turned on the fuel powered heater for one hour before going to sleep and one hour before waking up.
LOL Marty, exactly! That sounds pretty insane! and also quite dangerous, what if the temp suddenly drop below 0 and the roads becomes icy..
[…] During all this time not many words have been said. This is nothing out of the ordinary, the hosts are not scared of you. It’s just not common for Finns to engage in small talk. They most likely will ask you about what you think of Finland and how you like the weather. To amuse the hosts you can say you’re freezing (which you probably are anyways) and comment on how beautiful the nature is. (to find out what exactly Finns do when the temperature is -90c outside click here) […]
[…] The Saudi-Finnish Temperature Extremes Chart […]
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