Tour de France weather to hit mid-30s; Utrecht readies extra water

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute expects a cloudy but warm day for the start of the Tour de France on Saturday. Temperatures could reach up to 36 degrees and there is a chance of some storms in the eastern parts of the country on Saturday afternoon. In anticipation of the heat and the start of the Tour, water company Vitens will be pumping a record amount of 300 million litres of water per day to Utrecht this weekend, NOS reports. The company will incrementally increase the pressure in the pipes, to prevent them from bursting. The reservoirs will also be kept fuller in order to meet the additional demand. Vitens is not expecting any problems arising from the additional water demands, but the water pressure in the parts around the city may be slightly lower due to the high demand. The water company does warn that more iron particles from the water may whirl upwards due to the extra water flow, creating so-called brown water. The water is still drinkable - iron particles occur naturally in the water and is not a danger to health - but the company recommends that infants and the elderly do not drink this water. The KNMI has issued a code yellow weather warning for extreme heat for the whole of the Netherlands. This warning will remain in effect for 48 hours. The national heat plan is also currently in effect.