After a seriously long winter and temperamental weather the last few months, it is likely that May will break weather records and could possibly be the hottest may in more than 300 years!

Hottest May in more than 300 years

Weather measurements have been continuously made in the Netherlands since 1706. The first measurements were made in Delft before being made in Zwanenburg and then Haarlem.

From 1849 until 1897, weather readings were taken from Utrecht. Since 1897, up until today, weather measurements are recorded from Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) measuring point De Bilt.

The measurements taken during these some 300 years can be used in comparisons with the temperatures recorded today. However, the readings are not exactly accurate and can deviate by 0,1 or 0,2 degrees.

According to Weerplaza, if the current weather forecast is taken into account, the average temperature for May 2018 at De Bilt, will be about 16,5C to 16,8C. If this average temperature is indeed reached, the previous record of May 1889, which reached temperatures of 16,0 on average, will be broken. May 2018 would thus be the hottest in more than 300 years.

To give you an idea of how hot this month has been, usually May temperatures average 13,1C and temperatures in June are 15,6C on average. Temperatures this May are way above average, summery even.

Record number of warm days

So far, the month of May has had six summery days, with temperatures of 25C or more. If the current weather predictions come to fruition, the total number of summery days will reach 12, matching the record from 2000.

The number of “warm” days, where temperatures reach 20C or more, is expected to total 21. This would be a new record by beating the previous one from 2008, which had 19 “warm” days. One record that won’t be broken, according to Weeronline, is the hours of sun. Calculations estimate that May 2018 will have had around 300 hours of sun, far fewer than the record of 329 in 1989.

Tropical temperatures in the Netherlands

Summery temperatures of 25C to 29C are forecasted in De Bilt from Friday, May 25 up until Wednesday, May 30. This weekend, in the Southeast of the Netherlands, tropical temperatures of 30C and above are even possible. Temperatures in coastal regions will also be pleasant, however, a cold wind from the sea during the afternoon could cool things down considerably.