Hot hot hot: Thermometers top 30 in most of Netherlands, some hitting 35
It is hot in the Netherlands. Temperatures hit or topped 30 degrees in most of the country around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Only four weather stations hadn't reached the 30ºC mark by 11:50 a.m. By that time, it was already 35.0 and 35.1 degrees in Woensdrecht and Maastricht, according to Weer.nl.
The national weather station in De Bilt topped 30 degrees Celsius at around 11:20 a.m., making today the second official tropical day of the year. Monday was the first. Yesterday, De Bilt hit the tropical 30 degrees at 2:20 p.m. Today was three hours earlier. Weer.nl expects temperatures to climb to 37, maybe even 38 degrees at the national weather station today.
The highest temperature measured on Monday was 35.4 degrees in Westdorpe. That was topped at 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday in Maastricht at 35.7 degrees. "The vast majority of weather stations have already exceeded their maximum of yesterday. And it is steadily heating up," said Weer.nl.
The meteorological institute KNMI has a code orange warning in effect for the center and south of the country and a code yellow for the north. Public health institute RIVM's heat plan is in effect, urging Netherlands residents to stay hydrated, stay out of the sun, not overexert themselves, and take extra care of the vulnerable people in their environment.
The Nijmegen Vierdaagse officially moved its starting date to Wednesday to escape the worst of the heat. An unknown number of people still started the four-day walking event on Tuesday, despite the fact that the organizers warned there would be no provisions for them, including medical assistance if the heat becomes too much.
Like on Monday, the airports in the Netherlands are trying to keep travelers cool while they wait in long queues. Schiphol is handing out water and popsicles. Eindhoven is handing out fans. Due to staff shortages and summer crowds, the airports have been facing long queues on and off since the start of the May vacation.
The hot weather has Netherlands residents flocking to the water to cool down. Traffic towards the beach in Scheveningen was deadlocked just after noon. The municipality of The Hague asked people to stop coming to the beach by car. All parking garages were full, and there was no parking available on the streets in the area, according to press agency Marofer.
The Netherlands Rescue Brigade also noted crowded beaches. "There is still enough space, but it is already getting nice and busy on many beaches," a spokesperson said to ANP around noon. He expects the most crowds between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. "On days like this, those are usually the busiest time. There will also be a lot of people who are still working this morning and then take the afternoon off."
The fire brigade in West-Friesland promised to offer some cooling this evening, according to NH Nieuws. Firefighters will open their hoses in Opmeer, Hoogwoud, Andijk, Nibbixwoud, and Westwoud for locals to frolic and cool down in.
