Netherlands sees sunniest Christmas on record, coldest in 25 years

The Netherlands experienced its sunniest Christmas on record, while also marking the coldest holiday since 2000, meteorologists reported.

In De Bilt, the sun shone for a total of 13.4 hours over both Christmas days, surpassing the previous record of 12.5 hours set in 1961. Each day saw 6.7 hours of sunlight. According to Weeronline, sunny weather across both Christmas days is rare and this year marks only the sixth time total sunshine exceeded 10 hours.

At the same time, temperatures remained low. The average maximum temperature over both days was 1.5 degrees, making it the coldest Christmas in 25 years.

In comparison, Christmas 2000 had slightly colder temperatures, averaging 0.1 degrees with +0.9 degrees on December 25 and -0.7 degrees on December 26 in De Bilt. However, the 2025 holiday does not rank among the ten coldest Christmases ever recorded. The national record was set in 1938, when the average temperature was -3.3 degrees.

Meteorologists warned that the coming days would bring increased cloud cover and potential regional fog. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 2 and 7 degrees, with inland areas seeing frost during the nights.