Warmest night of the year expected with daytime highs rising towards 30°C

The Netherlands will experience the hottest night so far this year during the overnight period from Friday into Saturday. It will be dubbed a "tropical" night by national meteorological service KNMI if the temperature does not dip below 20 degrees Celsius during the evening and overnight hours in De Bilt, Utrecht, considered to be the meteorological center of the country. Temperatures could reach 30 degrees during the day in parts of the country, with storms likely on Saturday.

"Because the coldest moment often only fall around sunrise, it will be much warmer for a large part of the night. At the beginning of the night it can still be 25 degrees outside. It is often even warmer in the house," said Jaco van Wezel from weather website Weeronline. "This is because many homes are made up of stone-like materials. These store heat during the day and release it at night."

Weeronline meteorologists predicted that the daytime temperature to range from 26 to 29 degrees over the next four days, as warm air from Eastern Europe blows into the Netherlands. The weak wind could even bring a 30 degree day as early as Friday in the south of the Netherlands, the KNMI predicted.

There is some uncertainty about how hot the weather will be next week, as it largely depends on cloud coverage. But mostly sunny conditions could boost the mercury up to 30 degrees in parts of Limburg on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Experts from Weeronline suggested some strategies for coping during hot nights: keep windows and blinds closed during daytime and open them during cooler periods. They also emphasized the importance of staying hydrated, using sunscreen, and having water accessible at night. "Do not take a cold shower, as this constricts the blood vessels and makes it harder for the body to lose heat," Van Wezel said.

There is a 70 percent chance of precipitation on Saturday. "There is a reasonable chance for a Code Yellow [warning] for thunderstorms on Saturday," the KNMI said. It will be otherwise be "mostly dry," at least until Thursday, August 24. For the last seven days of the month, there will be a growing chance of rain showers.

People in the Netherlands could also see the higher temperatures begin to fall by then. Temperatures are expected to fall below the long-term average by the end of next week, meaning the highs should be just below 22 degrees during the day, and 13 degrees at night.