Some showers, some sunshine this Easter long weekend; Good news for some bonfires
This Easter long weekend will not be dry, but most days will have room for sunshine, according to Weeronline. Sunday will be nice and warm, with maximums hitting 20 in some places. The rainy weather in recent days is good news for Easter bonfires in Groningen and Drenthe. The provinces initially banned them due to persistent drought and wildfire risk, but now think it’s safe enough to light bonfires.
Friday started cloudy with some rain, especially in the northeastern half of the country. As the day continues, the chance of showers will decrease and the sun will appear in more and more places. Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, and Zuid-Holland will have a downright sunny afternoon. The east and northeast will still see mostly clouds. Maximums will range between 10 degrees in Groningen and 15 degrees in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, with little to no wind.
Tonight will see widespread clearings and plummeting temperatures. Minimums will drop to between 0 degrees inland and 5 degrees on the coast. “Early campers and festival goers spending the night at the campsite at Paaspop should definitely take this into account,” Weeronline said.
Saturday will start with some regional fog or mist, but this will clear up quickly. The day will be quite sunny with a weak to moderate wind from the east to northeast. Maximums will climb to between 12 and 16 degrees, with the south seeing the highest values.
Saturday to Sunday night will again be chilly, with minimums between 1 and 6 degrees. But the sun will quickly warm up the air on Sunday, and maximums will range between 15 and 19 degrees, north to south. Some areas in the east of Noord-Brabant and Limburg may even hit 20 degrees. Almost everywhere will get some sunshine, though the south of the country could also see showers in the afternoon, spreading to the rest of the country in the evening and overnight.
Monday will also be a mild day, with maximums between 16 and 19, but the weather will be gloomier with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. The sun will shine from time to time and there will certainly be long dry spells in between the showers, Weeronline expects.
Easter bonfires
Due to persistent drought and the associated risk of wildfires, Groningen was still debating about allowing easter bonfires this year, and Drenthe had already banned them. But due to rainier than expected weather these past few days, the two provinces decided to allow them after all, NOS reported.
That is good news for the villages that have not yet broken down their bonfire piles, or can manage to quickly build them. But several places have already broken down their piles and are less than thrilled about this change of heart.
In Weiteveen, for example, the wood went through the shredder earlier this week, and rebuilding everything in two days is impossible, organizer Bennie Menke told the broadcaster. “It is a real shame, because this scenario could have been prevented. We also keep a close eye on the weather developments ourselves. These showers were expected.”
The pile in Dalen has also been shredded. “I don’t know whether to cry or laugh,” organizer Jan Uineken said. “For weeks, we have been shouting from the rooftops to wait with canceling the Easter bonfires. Then it is unbelievable that it is now allowed to go ahead after all. It doesn’t get any more sour than this.”
