The following is a live blog providing updates on the tropical temperatures in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.
An official ‘extremely hot day’ possibleThe chance is high that it will be warmer than 35 degrees in De Bilt today. And with that, according to the definitions of the KNMI, an “extremely hot day” is possible. That is the category above the tropical day: that is the case with temperatures above 30 degrees.
Dogs are also looking for cooling in various ways today. Here, Wiebe is taking a dip in the ditch.
National heatwave still possibleIn De Bilt, the temperature yesterday just exceeded 30 degrees. This means that a national heatwave is still possible this week. For this, five consecutive days warmer than 25 degrees in De Bilt are needed, of which the temperature exceeds 30 degrees three times.
“Today, 30 degrees will be really easy,” says Johnny Willemsen from Weerplaza. “It will be around 34 to 35 degrees in the center of the country.” The tension whether it will really be a heatwave lies in the temperature of Wednesday. Whether it is also 30 degrees in De Bilt then depends on when the wind turns to the north and when it becomes cloudy.
If it becomes a heatwave, it will be a close one, says Willemsen. The minimum limit of a heatwave will then be reached exactly: five days warmer than 25 degrees and three warmer than 30 degrees. After Thursday, the temperature will drop again.
Not only in the Netherlands are people looking for shade as much as possible: in Paris, too, a shady bench is a pleasant place for some cooling. In the French capital, code red applies, the highest heat alarm, because it can reach up to 39 degrees.
In the west and southeast it was a tropical nightIn several places it was a tropical night last night, but certainly not everywhere. “The temperature has remained above 20 degrees for a very long time in many places, but eventually it still dropped below 20 degrees in many places,” says Matthijs van der Linden from Weeronline. That did not happen everywhere. At the measuring point of Vlissingen it remained 21.8 degrees, and at Hoek van Holland it remained 20.8 degrees. In Schiphol the temperature dropped briefly to 19.9 degrees, before rising again.
The meteorologist makes a comment. “Those measuring points are always in open landscape, so near grass fields.” In the cities in the west, but also in the southeast of the country, it may have ultimately remained above 20 degrees. If the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees at night, it is a tropical night.
In the east and northeast of the country it was the “least warm”, says Van der Linden. In Nieuw-Beerta, in the far east of Groningen, the lowest value measured was 11.4 degrees.
Tips to get through the heatThe Red Cross warns that the consequences of heat can be greater than you might think and gives a number of tips. The first seems obvious, but is not for everyone: drink well, even if you are not thirsty. This is especially important for the elderly. Their organs work less well and their thirst stimulus and sweat production have decreased.
It is also good to check the package leaflet of your medicines. Some medicines affect how your body regulates your temperature. Then precautions are needed. Furthermore, the aid organization emphasizes to apply sunscreen, put on sunglasses or a hat when you go outside and wear light clothing made of cotton or linen.
Finally, a tip to keep your house cool: put a frozen bottle of water in front of the fan.
Code orange for southeast Netherlands on Tuesday and WednesdayIn the provinces of Noord-Brabant, Limburg and Gelderland, code orange applies today and tomorrow due to extreme heat, it was announced yesterday. It will be almost everywhere tropically warm today, with maximum temperatures of 38 degrees. On Wednesday it can locally become 38 degrees again. At night it cools down somewhat, to temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees.