Northern Lights Forecast for Tornio

Northern Lights in Tornio

Tornio stands on the Finnish bank of the Tornionjoki where the river reaches the Bothnian Bay, at 65.85°N, and forms a twin town with Haparanda in Sweden. The border runs through the middle of the twin town, and so does a time zone: Haparanda is one hour behind Tornio. Like Kemi, 30 km east, Tornio is south of the Arctic Circle, so there is no polar night. The river valley running north out of town is the dark corridor.

Up the Tornionjoki to Kukkolankoski and Aavasaksa

The twin town has about 30,000 people, so the glow is modest, and the biggest light in the area, the Outokumpu steelworks at Röyttä at the southern end of town, is behind you when you look north up the river.

• Kukkolankoski, 14 km north of the center on the river road, is the longest free-flowing rapids in Finland, 3.5 km long with a 14-meter drop. The rapids stay open and steam on cold winter nights, the view runs north up the valley, and the log sheds of the whitefish dip-net fishery, which may date back to the 1200s, line the bank. Kukkolaforsen is the same rapids from the Swedish side.
• Nivavaara, in Korpikylä about 30 km north, has a marked 700-meter trail to a lean-to on the top and a view over the Torne valley.
• Aavasaksa, about 70 km north near Ylitornio, is a 242-meter hill above the river, a little south of the Arctic Circle and known as the southernmost point in Finland from which the midnight sun can be seen. It has an observation tower and a small ski area.

Suensaari, the wooden church and Maupertuis

Tornio received its charter from the Swedish king in 1621 on the island of Suensaari. The wooden church from 1686 survived the Lapland War, and Maupertuis’ expedition of 1736 and 1737 used its spire as a sighting point while measuring the shape of the Earth along the Torne valley. After the war of 1808 the border was drawn down the deepest channel of the river, leaving Tornio on the Russian side, and Sweden then built up Haparanda opposite.

Two railways and two clocks at the border

Kemi-Tornio Airport is 18 km east of the center, with Finnair flights from Helsinki. Tornio-Itäinen is the town’s stop on the night-train route from Helsinki to Kolari, and VR trains run between Oulu and Haparanda via Kemi and Tornio. On the Swedish side, Norrtåg trains link Haparanda with Luleå and Boden. Luleå is about 130 km west along the E4, which ends in Tornio. Timetables on each side of the river use that side’s clock.