Tropical heat in the Netherlands: “Extreme temperature differences are especially exceptional”

According to Weeronline, temperatures will rise to more than 30 degrees on Friday and it could even be 34 or 35 degrees on Saturday.

It may be warmer than 30 degrees in De Bilt, which would be the first official tropical day of the year.

Temperatures will rise at a rapid pace from Friday. In Brabant and Limburg it will be warmest with 30 to 31 degrees, in city centers it can even get a few degrees warmer. Because of the heat, Rijkswaterstaat has set up the heat protocol for roads in the south of the country for Friday and Saturday.

The Pinkpop festival in Landgraaf, which starts on Friday, has also taken measures due to the expected high temperatures. For example, extra water points are deployed, people are informed about the heat and the first aid team has been instructed to pay extra attention to visitors.

‘Cold beer’

“I wish the festival-goers a lot of strength,” says Roosmarijn Knol, meteorologist at Weeronline. According to her, Pinkpop is located in the warmest part of the Netherlands, which means that you have to be extra careful with the heat. “Maybe festival-goers can have an extra cold beer to cool off,” she says with a laugh.

However, according to Knol, these tropical temperatures are not exceptional in the Netherlands, but it will come extra early this year. “In previous years, we only got these temperatures in the Netherlands in July and August.”

‘Very special’

According to her, the extreme differences within the Netherlands are special. On Saturday, the temperature in large parts of the country can rise to more than 30 degrees. In the south to southeast it can even reach 36 degrees. “This is really quite unpleasant,” says Knol. It is striking that it is a lot cooler on the Wadden Islands, around 17 degrees. “That’s because of the wind,” explains the meteorologist.

After puffing and sweating on Saturday, heavy rain and thunderstorms are coming to our country. “It can really go wild,” says Knol. “It will really be a tropical rain shower where a lot of rain will fall in a short time.” But the advantage is that you probably won’t have another sticky night; the wind will dissipate the warm air and it will be a lot cooler on Sunday, about 20 degrees.

Apply well

People should also watch out for the high sun power. In many places sun strength 7 will be reached and in the center and south of the country this can even rise to strength 8. At these values, sensitive skin can burn within fifteen minutes. The combination of bright sun and heat also increases the chance of heat stroke. Lie down under a parasol, put on a cap and don’t forget to rub in well.