Heat warnings begin for next week: Drivers cautioned, Nijmegen march in jeopardy, Covid test hours changed

The Netherlands can expect a few exceptionally warm spells in the coming days. A warning to road users called on drivers to carry water and an umbrella for shade in case of breakdowns, while the GGD announced the closure of several coronavirus testing and vaccination sites. The plans for the International Four Days Marches in Nijmegen, a popular annual event attracting tens of thousands of people, are also in jeopardy.

On Monday and Tuesday, the country will have to contend with the hot air that has been present over southern Europe recently, leading to prolonged heat waves, many wildfires and major nuisance in that region, weather website Weer.nl reported. The heat will begin to disappear on Wednesday, along with the chance of a single thunderstorm.

Drivers can best prepare by taking enough bottles of cold water with them, and keeping an umbrella in the car, said infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat. It will begin its heat protocol at 10 a.m. on Monday. Breakdowns and vehicles involved in accidents will be removed from the roadways as quickly as possible.

Temperature on the asphalt can rise above 50 degrees in the coming days. “If bad luck means you unexpectedly wind up on the side of the road, you can get very hot very quickly. A few bottles of water is not at all an unnecessary luxury,” the Rijkswaterstaat alert stated. “There is very little shade along the road.” When the sun shines with such temperatures “an umbrella can be handy.”

The hot weather is the result of a high-pressure area that will move towards Germany via the Netherlands. A low pressure area, which has recently been present west of Portugal, is moving north. Between these two systems, a southerly to south-easterly wind will pass over Western Europe, displacing the hot air currently over Southern Europe. The heat will move north across France in the process.

Temperatures will still be pleasant on Sunday. In the coastal areas it will be between 21 and 23 degrees. In the south it can reach 28 or possibly 29 degrees locally.

On Monday, maximum temperatures will not be reached until late in the day, possibly early in the evening. The mercury will rise to about 27 degrees on the Wadden Islands, in the center of the country it will peak at 33 degrees, and in the south the temperature can rise locally to slightly above 35 degrees.

Temperatures will rise further on Tuesday. The weather can feel tropical in many places around noon. Ultimately, the mercury should rise above 30 degrees everywhere, including on the Wadden Islands. Locally, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees. The chance of this is greatest in Zeelandic Flanders, the southern region of Zeeland, and also the western portion of Noord-Brabant.

Changes could be in store for the popular annual Marches in Nijmegen

The organization behind the International Four Days Marches in Nijmegen will decide later on Sunday whether it will implement any measures in connection with the high temperatures set to arrive on Tuesday, the first walking day. The decision will involve the event's medical service, an exercise physiologist, a sports psychologist and the Red Cross. The Four Days Marches' own weather service will also create their own weather forecast just for the walking route.

March Leader Henny Sackers said the amount of wind on the route is important, as is the humidity level. The physical activity will make the walkers feel very hot, and the body has to be able to expel that heat.

The Four Days Marches has had a special heat protocol for years. It contains measures such as starting earlier or finishing later, shortening the route, letting soldiers walk without a full pack of gear, and even eliminating a walking day. The heat protocol was drawn up after two runners died in 2006 after an equally warm first day of walking. It was 34 degrees Celsius that day, and it was never definitively established if they died because of the heat. The Four Days Marches was then cancelled that year.

More than 42,000 walkers have registered for the 104th edition of the International Four Days Marches. Every year, several thousand people are no-shows. That figure could be high with the fear of high temperatures on the first day.

Coronavirus testing and vaccination hours changed

Several branches of the GGD health service have adjusted the opening hours of the coronavirus testing and vaccination locations. Some will be completely closed due to the expected heat.

Warnings about changed opening times appeared on the websites of the GGD Drenthe, GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland, GGD Gelderland-Midden, GGD Brabant-Zuidoost, GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond and GGD Utrecht. In Utrecht, a number of test and vaccination locations will close completely for one or more days as a precaution. The opening hours of a number of other locations have changed.

Drenthe is moving appointments scheduled on Monday afternoon to Wednesday. GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland changes Monday and Tuesday opening hours for the test and vaccination location at an event site in Purmerend. GGD Gelderland-Midden also warned that some fixed locations will close earlier than usual. "Because overheating and sensible vaccination do not go together."

In Brabant-Zuidoost, the test locations in Helmond and Eindhoven will only provide tests during the morning hours next week. The opening times for the vaccination locations remain unchanged. GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond reported that the test vaccination locations will be closed from 1 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.