Sunny with highs of 28°C this week, ushering in an Indian summer to start autumn

Those in the Netherlands can expect several sunny and pleasant days this week before the official start of the autumn season on Sunday, September 1. Despite the occasional drizzle, the weather should remain mostly dry, with many sunny periods bringing temperatures as high as 28 degrees Celsius.

Today is still on the chilly side, with maximums between 18 and 22 degrees north to south, some cloud cover, and an occasional shower. But from tomorrow, there will be several dry days with abundant sunshine and summer temperatures, according to the meteorological institute KNMI.

Tuesday’s maximums will range between 22 degrees Celsius on the Wadden and 26 degrees in the southeast. The day will see blue skies and no rain with a weak to moderate southeasterly wind.

“Wednesday will be sunny, dry, and summery warm,” the meteorological institute expects. It will be the hottest day of the week, with maximums of up to 28 degrees. Some places in the southeast may even see thermometers hit a tropical 30 degrees, according to Weeronline. That is significantly hotter than the typical late August maximums of around 21 degrees.

Thursday will still be warm, with maximums around 25 degrees, but cloud cover and the chance of showers will increase. Friday and Saturday will be a mix of sun and clouds, with occasional showers and maximums more typical for the time of year—around 22 degrees.

From Sunday, temperatures will rise again somewhat. The KNMI expects meteorological autumn to start with more sunshine than clouds, little chance of rain, and maximums somewhere between 23 and 26 degrees.

Next Monday marks the start of the first full week of autumn, but an initial Indian summer period is more likely than cool days and crisp nights. There is a big 70 percent chance of “fairly warm and dry weather” for the first few days of September, the KNMI said.

This will likely include “lots of sun” at the start of the week. As the days progress, cloud cover will increase, and the temperature will fall closer to the long-term average. Over the past 40 years, the first ten days of September tend to hover around a high of 20 degrees, with a low of 12 degrees.

However, the forecast is slightly uncertain with the prospect of even warmer weather. “Then perhaps even regional heat waves could come into view, although this is still too far away and therefore too uncertain,” meteorologist Berend van Straaten from Weeronline told Parool.