Netherlands sets records for rain, sunshine, and heat amid climate shifts
The Netherlands has seen extreme weather in recent years, setting new records for rainfall, sunshine, and temperature, weeronline reported.
In 2023, the country recorded its wettest year on record with 1,151 millimeters of rain, surpassing the previous record of 1,109 millimeters set in 1998. The heaviest rainfall hit the northwest and north, with local totals exceeding 1,400 millimeters. Purmerend in Noord-Holland recorded 1,428 millimeters, breaking a 1915 record in Heemstede.
By contrast, 2022 was the sunniest year ever, with an average of 2,233 hours of sunshine nationwide. Den Helder recorded 2,403 hours, Vlissingen 2,361, Stavoren 2,329, and De Bilt 2,209.
Average annual temperatures have risen to 10.7 degrees Celsius, up from 10.2 in 1991–2010. Warm days above 20 degrees now occur on 97 days per year, while frost days have decreased to 52.
The hottest day recorded in De Bilt was July 25, 2019, at 37.5 degrees, with the national record of 40.7 degrees in Gilze-Rijen, Noord-Brabant. Cold extremes remain, with Winterswijk hitting -27.4 degrees in 1942 and Lelystad -22.9 degrees in 2012.
Warm summers remain notable. In 2018, De Bilt had 138 days above 20 degrees and 55 days over 25 degrees, while Arcen recorded 146 warm days and 21 tropical days over 30 degrees.
Over the last decades, annual sunshine has increased 11 percent due to cleaner air, and precipitation has risen slightly. Despite global warming, the Netherlands continues to experience significant regional and yearly variations in temperature, rainfall, and sunshine.
