Record "super heatwave" in the making: Temps may hold over 30°C through Tuesday

The current hot weather in the Netherlands is set to continue until at least Sunday, possibly even Tuesday. That will make this heatwave a new record for the Netherlands. The weather may even meet the conditions for a “superheatwave,” Weeronline reported.

“An exceptionally hot period awaits us with very high temperatures and high humidity,” meteorologist Floris Lafeber said. “From Wednesday through Saturday, temperatures in the south could reach 35 degrees or more, and elsewhere will also be tropically hot with 30 degrees or more.” Friday will be the hottest day, with maximums up to 39 degrees inland.

Weeronline expects the streak of hot weather to turn into an official heatwave on Wednesday or Thursday. For that to happen, maximums at the national weather station in De Bilt must top 25 degrees on five consecutive days, including three days of 30 degrees or higher. Regional heatwaves already started in Ell and Maastricht on Saturday.

If the national heatwave becomes official on Thursday and ends on Sunday, it will equal the current 8-day heatwave record from June 1976 and 1936. If it is official on Wednesday or lasts longer than Sunday, it will be a new record.

The conditions also look set for this to turn into a superheatwave - maximums of 30 degrees or higher for five days, with three days of 35 degrees or higher. Several places in the south of the country will likely hit superheatwaves on Saturday.

There has never been a national superheatwave. But there have been several regional ones in recent years.