Tropical heat to hit Netherlands by Wednesday; Heatwave likely
The Netherlands has a hot week ahead of it, with thermometers expected to top 30 in many places on Wednesday and stay that high until at least Sunday, according to the KNMI. The country will likely get its first official heatwave in two years.
For an official heatwave, the maximum temperature at the national weather station in De Bilt must be 25 or higher for five consecutive days, three of which have maximums above 30 degrees. According to the meteorological institute’s forecast, that will easily happen this week.
On Monday, maximum temperatures will range between 20 degrees in the Wadden and 26 degrees in the southeast. Tuesday’s maximums will be between 21 and 28 degrees. On Wednesday, thermometers will climb to between 28 and 30 degrees. And the first time maximums may dip below 30 again is on Sunday, when the KNMI expects afternoon temperatures between 29 and 33 degrees.
The sun will shine abundantly, with only a few clouds expected on Monday and Tuesday. Except for some light showers here and there on Monday, there will be no rain, according to the KNMI.
That is bad news for the persistent drought and official water shortage the Netherlands finds itself in. The water level of the major rivers like the Maas and Rijn will drop even further this week.
People seeking to cool off in natural water this week should keep an eye out for blue-green algae, the public works department Rijkswaterstaat warned. The algae are sometimes visible as a blue or green layer on the surface of the water but are often also in the water without being visible. Contact with blue-green algae can cause skin irritations, headaches, and intestinal and stomach problems, according to NOS.
