After 186 days, the Netherlands records its first "official" warm day over 20°C

The temperature in De Bilt, Utrecht briefly rose about 20 degrees Celsius on May 4, marking the first officially warm day in the Netherlands in 2023. Official weather conditions for the country are recorded in De Bilt, in the center of the country, where the meteorological office KNMI is located. An "official" warm day is recorded when the temperature rises above 20.0 degrees.

The temperature in De Bilt hit 20.2 degrees at 1:20 p.m., according to records from the KNMI. It is the first time that has happened since October 30, 2022, weather website Weeronline reported. That marks a total of 186 consecutive days below 20 degrees.

It was not the longest wait for a warm day that residents of the country have faced. The first warm day of 2008 was on April 25 after a 215 day wait. It took 214 days before a warm day was recorded on April 24, 2010. Last year, the KNMI registered the first warm day on April 11, 196 days after the previous time the thermometer hit 20 degrees, Weeronline said.

Over the last three decades, the first warm day in De Bilt is set on average on April 13. Though that mark was missed by three weeks this year, the effects of climate change are very noticeable. Between 1981 and 2010, the first warm day was most likely to occur on April 16, and in the three decades prior, the average was April 22.

By 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, the mercury climbed to 21.0 degrees in De Bilt, but it rose even higher elsewhere, topping 22 degrees in several locations. At Maastricht-Aachen Airport, the temperature touched 22.7 degrees, and it was 22.5 degrees in Eindhoven. Moments before, the KNMI recorded 22.3 degrees in Wilhelminadorp.

The KNMI had said throughout the day that it could even hit 23 degrees in some areas in the south of the country.