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Finland and Sweden recorded their coldest temperatures on Tuesday, dropping as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius as a cold spell gripped the Nordic region.

Cold and snow disrupted transportation throughout the region, including in Norway where a major highway in the south was closed due to the weather and ferry lines suspended operations.

Swedish train operators said the cold snap caused substantial problems for rail traffic in the Arctic north.

Sweden reported its coldest January night in 25 years, reaching minus 43.6 degrees Celsius in the far north. It’s the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999.

In January 1999, a temperature of minus 49 degrees Celsius (minus 56.2 Fahrenheit) was recorded in Sweden, which tied the record set in 1951.

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reported temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius in several locations in northern Sweden, and issued a warning for snow and wind for central and southern Sweden.

Its second-highest warning applies from midnight to Wednesday.

In neighbouring Finland, this winter’s cold record was recorded in the northwestern town of Ylivieska where temperatures fell to minus 37.8 degrees Celsius early on Tuesday.

Forecasters said temperatures would be lower than minus 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the nation throughout the week.

Temperatures in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, were expected to hover between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees Celsius.

(Inputs from AP)