First official summer day arrives in the Netherlands earlier than usual, topping 25°C
An unseasonably warm spell has brought the first official summer day to the Netherlands on Wednesday. Temperatures climbed above 25 degrees Celsius in De Bilt, Utrecht, marking an earlier arrival of summer conditions compared to the historical average. The town is considered the point of reference for national weather records.
The early warmth was even more pronounced in the southern parts of the country. WeerOnline reported that Woensdrecht reached 25.9 degrees, closely followed by Westdorpe at 25.8 degrees and Eindhoven at 25.5 degrees.
It was not the first summer weather day everywhere in the Netherlands. Back on April 12, Westdorpe, Zeeland, experienced a local summer day with a temperature of 25.3 degrees. However, De Bilt only reached 22.8 degrees on that day, meaning it did not qualify as an official summer day in the country.
“This summer day is clearly earlier than usual, because on average the mercury rises to 25 degrees for the first time in De Bilt on May 16,” said WeerOnline. Last year, the first 25-degree day in De Bilt occurred on May 2, while in 2023, the first nationally warm day was not recorded until June 9, the latest this century. The earliest ever recorded was April 14, 2007, when De Bilt reached a sweltering 27.6 degrees.
The summery conditions are expected to persist into Thursday, with WeerOnline forecasting temperatures of 25 degrees or higher in many areas. The southern region could even see highs around 28 degrees. However, a change is on the horizon, with cooler air from the northwest anticipated to move across the country on Friday.
While Friday will bring a drop in temperatures, the central and southern regions could still experience highs between 22 and 26 degrees. The north and northwest, however, will see cooler conditions with temperatures ranging from 18 to 20 degrees. The cooling trend is set to continue into the weekend, with Sunday expected to be noticeably chilly.
Statistically, De Bilt averages around 29 summer days per year based on the average from the past 30 years. This is a slight increase from the 1991-2020 average of 28 days and a more significant rise compared to the 1980s, which averaged only 16 summer days. The year with the most summer days in De Bilt was 2018, with an impressive 55 days reaching 25 degrees or higher.
Despite the warm weather, the rescue organization Reddingsbrigade Nederland warned people on Wednesday that the open waters will still be too cold to swim in. The water temperatures are expected to be around 11 degrees Celsius for the week.
