Netherlands sets new warm weather record for Oct. 28; Weekend could set new record highs
This story was updated.
Friday was the warmest October 28 ever measured in the Netherlands. The thermometer rose to 22.8 degrees in Maastricht at 12:40 p.m., according to Weeronline. The old national record stood at 22.5 degrees and was measured in 2005, also at the Maastricht weather station. The temperature rose to 23.5 degrees in the Limburg city by the end of the day.
Official weather records in the Netherlands are set in De Bilt, Utrecht, considered the meteorological average for the country. It is also home to the KNMI, the Dutch meteorological institute. The temperature in De Bilt reached 19.8 degrees at 12:50 p.m., breaking the previous official record of 19.4 degrees also set in 2005.
The temperature continued to rise in the Utrecht city, breaking 20 degrees. Many other areas also saw temperatures between 20 and 23 degrees,
At the time the official and local weather records were broken, the temperature was still rising. It crossed 20 degrees in De Bilt, and it will be 20 to 23 degrees in many areas by the end of Friday afternoon, and in southern Limburg temperatures were expected to even reach up to 25 degrees in some parts.
It is rare for the temperature to reach 25 degrees this late in the year. So far, the latest summer-weather day in any year took place in 1937 when the thermometer hit 25.2 degrees in Maastricht on October 27.
There is also a chance that more heat records will be broken over the weekend. The temperature is expected to remain very high for the time of year, often 20 degrees or more across much of the Netherlands.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times