Record warm and dry summer

This summer was very warm and dry in the Netherlands. The average temperature was 19.3 degrees Celsius. That is the highest since 1901.

Normally, it is 17.5 degrees Celsius. Especially from mid-June to mid-August, it was often much warmer than normal. There was little rain.

Normally, 224 millimeters of rain falls in the summer, but this time only 170 millimeters fell. The least rain fell in the south. In July, there was almost no rain at all.

In some places in the southwest, only 3 millimeters fell. In the north, a bit more rain fell. June was already very warm.

At that time, the average temperature was 19.1 degrees Celsius. Normally, that is 16.2 degrees Celsius. From June 18 to June 28, there was a heatwave.

On June 26 it was the hottest, in Ell: 39.4 degrees Celsius. From June 24 onwards, the central and southern regions received an orange heat warning. On June 26, a red heat warning was even issued.

Only in the north and Zeeland did the warning remain orange. In De Bilt, the temperature stayed above 20 degrees Celsius at night between June 25 and 27. These are called tropical nights.

There were also severe thunderstorms, especially during the nights of June 19 to 20 and June 27 to 28. There were many lightning strikes during those nights. July was also very warm, at 19.7 degrees Celsius.

August was 19.0 degrees Celsius. In De Bilt, there were 81 warm days, 37 summer days, and 11 tropical days this summer. Normally, there are fewer of these days.

The water shortage was large, especially in the south and west: more than 300 millimeters. The northeast and east had less shortage, about 50 millimeters. Due to the large shortage, 2026 is one of the driest years ever recorded.

The heat index was 201.9. This is the highest ever measured. This summer fits with the changing climate: it is becoming warmer and sunnier, with sometimes much less or much more rain.