Netherlands records first official warm day of 2026 at main weather station in De Bilt

De Bilt recorded its first official warm day of 2026 on Wednesday afternoon. The temperature at the main weather station reached 20 degrees Celsius at 2:50 p.m., marking the start of a warm day, according to Weeronline.

This year, the first official warm day arrived a little earlier than usual. In De Bilt, the 20-degree mark is typically reached around April 11. Earlier Wednesday, Westdorpe in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen had already recorded its first local warm day, peaking at 22.3 degrees. Besides Westdorpe, which reached 22.3 degrees, stations in Limburg and Noord-Brabant also saw temperatures far above the national average for this time of year.

The last official warm day before this came 200 days ago on September 20, 2025, when De Bilt reached 23.2 degrees.

Weeronline reports that the first warm day in the Netherlands is occurring progressively earlier in the year. During the current climate period, which ranges from 1996 to 2025, it has averaged around April 11, whereas in earlier decades it came later in the month. The number of warm days per year is also on the rise.

Although April 8 is an early date for a warm day, it does not set a record. The earliest official warm day on record was March 17, occurring in 1961 with 20.0 degrees and again in 1990 with 20.6 degrees.

In some areas of the south and southeast, temperatures on Wednesday locally neared 25 degrees. While De Bilt reached 20 degrees, a day is only officially considered a “summer day” when the main station records 25 degrees or higher.

Weeronline reports that very mild spring weather will persist over the coming days, with temperatures ranging between 15 and 18 degrees. While De Bilt may not reach 20 degrees again right away, the warm southwesterly winds could still bring local temperature records for the date.