As the Netherlands enjoys the final days of summer sun and warm temperatures, the Dutch Weather Institute (KNMI) has issued a code yellow warning for Friday, as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are on the way. 

The Netherlands makes the most of the final days of summer

After a fairly cold and grey summer, the Netherlands has enjoyed a couple of sunny and warm days this week - and people have definitely made the most of them. With temperatures of between 25 and 28 degrees across the country, Wednesday marked the hottest day the Netherlands has seen since the end of June. 

As was recorded by the KNMI in De Bilt - a town near Utrecht - the hottest days in August and July were 25,2 degrees and 26,6 degrees respectively. Meanwhile, on Wednesday afternoon, highs of 26,9 degrees were recorded by the KNMI, the highest temperatures the country has seen since June 27 when it was 27 degrees. 

Summer is definitely coming to an end, and so the people of the Netherlands were out in droves to enjoy the last dregs of sunshine. Popular beaches such as Scheveningen and Zandvoort were full, and roads leading to the coast were chock-a-block with traffic. The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) put in extra train services between Bloemendaal and Haarlem to transport people to and from the beach. In cities like Amsterdam and Leiden, canals were filled with boats of people enjoying the summer sun.

KNMI issues code yellow weather warning for Friday

This week’s weather is not set to last; with storms and heavy rain on the cards, the KNMI has already issued a code yellow weather warning for Limburg on Thursday afternoon, and a weather warning for the whole of the Netherlands on Friday, September 10. 

Areas in the southeast of the Netherlands, such as Maastricht, Roermond, and Venlo are expected to see thunderstorms over the course of Thursday afternoon and evening. Thursday night is expected to be mostly dry, before the weather picks up again on Friday afternoon and brings heavy rain, thunderstorms, and potentially even hail to the Netherlands.

Heading into the weekend more rain is expected, but there might be a little bit of sunshine. Temperatures in Rotterdam and The Hague will average at around 20 or 21 degrees - significantly cooler than the weather the Randstad has seen so far this week.

Thumb via Amanda Weideman.