Tropical Heat Returns to the South of the Netherlands This Week
After a week of average summer weather, temperatures in the Netherlands will rise again from midweek, with the centre and south likely to see tropical heat of 30°C or more from Thursday.
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After a week of fairly ordinary July weather, temperatures in the Netherlands are set to climb again, with the centre and south of the country most likely to see tropical heat of 30°C or more from Thursday. It is a return to summer warmth, though forecasters do not expect anything like the extremes of last month.
The change follows June’s record-breaking heatwave, which brought the country’s first ever code red warning for heat and was linked to around 480 more deaths than expected. The past week, by contrast, brought temperatures close to the July average.
A north-south split to start the week
Monday and Tuesday continue a familiar pattern this summer, with a clear divide between a cloudier, cooler north and a sunnier south. On Tuesday, the NOS weather service expects around 19°C in the Wadden area in the north, against 27 to 29°C in the southern province of Limburg. A little light rain is possible in the north, while the south stays mostly dry.
Warmth building from midweek
From Wednesday, the weather turns dry and fairly sunny across the country, as warmer air edges up from the southwest of Europe. There, temperatures passed 40°C in the border region between Spain and Portugal over the weekend, and wildfires broke out in Portugal, Spain, Greece and France.
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Tropical in the south by Thursday
The national weather service KNMI expects summery warmth from Thursday, turning tropical in the southern half of the country, where 30 to 31°C is likely. Friday could be warmer still, with 30°C possible in many places and local peaks higher in the south. Because the humidity will also be high, the heat may feel oppressive, the sticky warmth that makes it harder to cool down.
How far north the heat will reach is still uncertain. The chance of hitting 30°C is considerably smaller in the northern provinces, which are likely to stay cooler.
A warm but uncertain outlook
Looking further ahead, the KNMI puts the chance of above-average temperatures at around 80% through 19 July, with tropical values likely in the south. The heat is expected to ease gradually later on, with a growing chance of thunderstorms. Whether the warmth holds into next weekend is not yet certain, as the Netherlands sits near the edge of the warm air; a shift in the wind could push the heat away again fairly quickly.
Staying comfortable in the heat
This spell is not forecast to approach the severity of June’s heatwave, but the usual advice still applies on warm days, especially given the humidity: drink enough, seek shade during the hottest hours, and keep an eye on older or unwell people who feel the heat more. For many, though, the return of dry, sunny weather will simply be a welcome excuse to head for a terrace, park or beach.