Heat measures taken at student orientation; Swimmer rescued at Terschelling
The high temperatures in the Netherlands this week have everyone looking for ways to cool down. A night-time swim went wrong for a 17-year-old tourist on Terschelling, who had to be rescued from the sea. Organizers of university orientation weeks have taken measures to protect students. The national heat plan is in effect.
The sea rescue institution KNRM responded to the south side of Terschelling on Monday night after reports of a 17-year-old tourist going for a nighttime swim and never returning, Omrop Fryslan reported. After over an hour of searching by air and from the shore, the exhausted and hypothermic boy was found dog paddling about 2 kilometers offshore.
Two KNRM rescue workers jumped into the water to keep the boy afloat while another rescue boat with a hypothermia stretcher responded to the spot. They took the boy to the harbor of Terschelling, where paramedics took over his care. He was rushed to the hospital in Leeuwarden.
First-year students in Utrecht, Leiden, and Groningen started their orientation weeks on Monday. The organizers told NU.nl that they have a heat plan in effect. They’re distributing water and sunscreen and are monitoring the temperatures. If a location becomes too hot, the event there will be canceled or rescheduled.
The Lowlands festival has not taken any additional measures due to the heat. The festival starts on Thursday, when maximums in Biddinghuizen are expected to climb to 32 degrees. But from Friday, it should be slightly cooler with maximums at around 28 degrees and around 26 degrees the next day.
Decibel is also this weekend and expected to be hot. Maximums at the festival site in Hilvarenbeek will climb to 31 degrees on Friday and around 26 degrees on Saturday.
Both festivals attract big crowds. Lowlands sells around 60,000 tickets per year, with thousands staying overnight at campsites at the event site at Walibi Holland in Biddinghuizen, or campgrounds in the area. Over 100,000 people visited the Decibel Outdoor festival in 2024, held at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek. It is among the largest events in Noord-Brabant, with many also camping at the location during the three-day festival.
The KNMI issued a code yellow warning for persistent heat during the coming days. The national heat plan is in effect, reminding care providers and others in the Netherlands to pay extra attention to vulnerable groups in the heat - young children, the elderly, and people with chronic conditions.
The RIVM also warned of poor air quality in several provinces. The heat is causing ozone levels to rise, potentially leading to smog in some areas of Midden-Nederland on Tuesday, and in Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe on Wednesday. From Thursday, the ozone concentrations will decrease again, and the air quality will improve.
