2022 the sixth driest year in Dutch history
This year, 2022, is currently the sixth driest year in Netherlands history, according to Weer.nl. Between April 1 and July 25, the precipitation deficit was 205 millimeters. Typically, that should be around 110 millimeters. With little to no rain forecast in the next two weeks, Weer.nl expects the shortage to increase to 250 millimeters, putting 2022 in the top 5 driest years.
Due to climate change, the Netherlands’ rain pattern is changing. The country isn’t getting less rain in the summer, but the rainfall is happening in shorter and heavier showers, leaving less time for the water to sink into the ground. The country is also getting more sunshine and higher temperatures, so the water evaporates faster than before.
“We can already see that clearly in the statistics,” Weer.nl said. “Half of the top ten years with the largest precipitation deficit since 1901 come from this century!”
Regionally, this year’s drought can be compared with 2019 and 2020, when regional precipitation deficits also approached 300 mm at this time of year. The situation was much worse in 2018, when Twente, the Achterhoek, the Liemers, and parts of Limburg already had precipitation deficits of over 300 mm by the end of July. The deficits increased to over 400 mm later in the summer of 2018, placing it in the top 3 driest years.
According to the weather service, the Netherlands needs two months of solid rain to fix this year’s deficit. Whether that will happen depends on what the weather looks like in August.
The driest year the Netherlands ever experienced since temperature measurements started in 1901 was 1976, with a precipitation deficit of 272 mm. The second driest year is 2018 (262 mm), followed by 1959 (257 mm), 1921 (243 mm), and 1941 (215 mm)
