Cold Thursday with thunderstorm warning; Back to higher temps next week

After record-high temperatures earlier this month, the Netherlands is in for a chilly and gloomy day with showers and thunderstorms and maximums no higher than 15 degrees. The KNMI issued a code yellow storm warning for a large part of the country. Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and Noord-Holland are also under a warning for heavy downpours.

The code yellow thunderstorm warning is in place for Zeeland and Zuid-Holland until midnight. Noord-Holland, the IJsselmeer area, the Wadden area, and Friesland are covered until 10:00 p.m., and Noord-Brabant until 5:00 p.m. The thunderstorms could include hail, downpours, and strong winds with gusts around 60 kilometers per hour.

Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and Noord-Holland are also covered by a code yellow warning for heavy downpours until midnight. Some areas could get 50 to 60 millimeters of rain today, which could result in flooded streets, tunnels, and basements, the KNMI warned.

The rest of the country will also have showers and thunderstorms today, but they won’t be severe enough to warrant a warning, the KNMI expects. Maximums will climb to around 15 degrees - a stark contrast to last week’s warm, summery weather and several degrees below the maximums of around 19.1 degrees that are typical for the time of year.

Friday and Saturday will still be on the cool side, with maximums around 16 and 17 degrees, respectively. Friday may see some scattered showers. There will be plenty of room for sunshine on both days.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy but mostly dry. Temperatures will start climbing again after Sunday, hitting the 20-degree mark on Monday and probably reaching around 23 degrees on Wednesday.

After that, there is a “high chance (80%) of mostly dry weather with lots of sun and temperatures a few degrees above the long-term average,” the KNMI said. “Later, there will be more clouds, a slightly increasing chance of precipitation, and temperatures dropping to around normal.”