Freezing Temperatures in Finland: From Boiling To Frozen in Seconds

Elisavet Kammas '26

On New Year's day in the Finnish region of Lapland, Lauri Untamo was on vacation with some friends when it became -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) in the area.

Lauri Untamo, a 49 year old from Southern Finland, had the idea of throwing boiling water over his head in the freezing conditions - something he had constantly seen on Tiktok. The boiling water, when thrown, immediately turned into icy mist. Untamo was unharmed, and in shock at the results.

How does boiling water turn into icy dust in seconds? When thrown in the freezing cold, what is being displayed is the Leidenfrost effect, joined with the major temperature difference between the weather and boiling water. 

The Leidenfrost effect is a phenomenon where a liquid near a mass that is much hotter than its boiling point,  produces a vapor from letting it boil as fast. The Leidenfrost effect can be more visibly seen the hotter the water is, and the greater the difference in temperature is. 

Finland had been experiencing freezing weather for a few days prior to Untamo’s experiment, the lowest being -44.3 degrees Celsius (-47.74 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the lowest temperature in Finland in 25 years. Untamo also describes that the Northern Lights could be seen. 

It is important to note that it is dangerous to perform Untomo’s experiment unless performed in temperatures less than -20 degrees Celsius.