After the first national tropical day of the year was recorded on Thursday, the Dutch Weather Institute (KNMI) has issued a code yellow weather warning for the whole of the country on Friday evening, as severe thunderstorms and heavy winds are expected.
The past few weeks have seen the Netherlands enjoy warm temperatures and sunny skies, and this week temperatures continued to climb before reaching a peak on June 17, when the first official tropical day was recorded by the KNMI in De Bilt (a town near Utrecht).
To be classified as an official tropical day, temperatures need to reach (at least) 30 degrees, and, just before 2 pm on Thursday afternoon, this happened, as a thermometer in De Bilt recorded a temperature of 30,3 degrees.
Other parts of the country saw temperatures climb even higher. For example, Hupsel, a town south of Enschede and near the German border, recorded a temperature of 33,2 degrees, making Thursday the warmest June 17 ever recorded in the Netherlands.
Of course, these temperatures can’t last. While Friday will see temperatures reach 27 degrees in The Hague and Rotterdam, it will also bring severe thunderstorms and heavy winds from Friday afternoon.
Some parts of the country have already seen storms strike up on Friday morning, with emergency services in North Brabant saying they have already received numerous reports of storm damage. But, between 5pm and 10pm on Friday, a code yellow weather warning will be in place for the whole of the Netherlands.
“The showers will move from south to north across the country in the evening and leave the northeast at the end of the evening,” the KNMI has said. The storms will have a significant effect on the weather, as Saturday will see (quite) strong winds and temperatures ranging from 20 degrees in the north to 25 degrees in the east and southeast. Heading into Sunday, the wind is expected to pick up again, and there is a chance of rain or even hail.