Dutch heat record from 1947 broken as tropical days pile up

A historic heat record from 1947 was broken on Wednesday, August 12, when the 31st tropically warm day was measured in the Netherlands. With the heat continuing, more days will probably be added to the total by the end of the week, before temperatures finally cool a bit.

More than 31 tropical days in the Netherlands so far

At around 2pm on August 12, the temperature in Maastricht hit 31,5 degrees celsius, making Wednesday the 31st tropical day recorded in the Netherlands this year. This marks a new heat record, beating the one set in 1947 when 30 tropical days were measured, reports RTL Nieuws.

To be classified as a tropical day (tropische dag), the maximum temperature has to reach 30 degrees or higher at a recognised weather station. More tropical days are likely as Thursday and Friday are set to be the hottest days of the week with the mercury rising to highs of between 31 and 37 degrees, according to Weeronline. 

"The fact that the record is already being broken in mid-August is remarkable," Buienradar meteorologist Amara Onwuka told RTL Nieuws. "In the record year of 1947, the tally had only reached 19 days of 30 degrees or more by August 12. Back then, the 30th tropical day was not recorded until deep into September."

Cooler weather on the way

For anyone who is tired of the stifling heat, there is some relief coming from this weekend. On Saturday, a change in wind direction will blow in some cloud cover with an increasing possibility of rain. While it will still be quite warm on Saturday with temperatures ranging from 26 to 30 degrees, Sunday will see cooler temperatures topping out at between 22 and 26 degrees.

Monday is looking like a rainy day, so children returning to school in the north should remember to take a raincoat along. Throughout next week, the changeable weather is expected to continue with a mixed bag of sun, clouds and occasional rain showers. Temperatures will range from 20 to 26 degrees, which Weeronline is calling “normal temperatures for this time of year”.