Netherlands
25 cities
Climate overview
The Netherlands occupies about 41,500 km² at 50°45′–53°33′N along northwestern Europe's North Sea coast, encompassing twelve provinces from Zealand and Limburg in the south to Groningen and Friesland in the north. Predominantly flat with approximately 26% of the country below sea level, including the densely populated Randstad megalopolis (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht), the landscape features polders reclaimed from sea and lakes, coastal dunes, river deltas (Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt), and the highest point Vaalserberg at merely 322 m in Limburg.
This low-lying deltaic terrain creates acute vulnerability to North Sea storm surges and river flooding, protected by the extensive Delta Works system constructed after the severe 1953 North Sea flood (1,835 deaths). The climate is maritime temperate (Cfb): mild, humid, with moderate seasonal variation heavily moderated by North Sea influence and prevailing westerly winds, though continental influences occasionally penetrate from the east.
De Bilt (central Netherlands) sees highs of about 6°C and lows near 1°C in January and highs of 23°C and lows of 13°C in July with approximately 850 mm annual rainfall. Maastricht (Limburg) records January highs of 6°C and lows near 1°C and July highs of 24°C and lows of 14°C with 760 mm. Vlissingen (Zeeland coast) shows maritime moderation with January highs of 6°C and lows of 3°C and July highs of 22°C and lows of 15°C with 750 mm. The average temperature in the Netherlands rose by more than 2°C between 1901 and 2020.
On 25 July 2019, Gilze-Rijen Air Base reached 40.7°C, a national record. Other significant events include the August 2003 European heatwave (approximately 1,500 heat-related deaths), the July 2021 Meuse floods in Limburg (extensive damage in Valkenburg and more than 10,000 people evacuated around Venlo after more than 100 mm of rain in a day), the 2018 summer drought, and the 2022 drought. Rising sea level poses risks to low-lying areas.
Our archive covers 25 Dutch cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Venlo, with average highs around 22.6°C, while Enschede has the coldest January nights, with average lows near −0.5°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.8°C.
How the climate has shifted in the Netherlands
Average across 25 cities with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 9.5°C→11.3°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 1 day→5 days+4
- Frost days per year
- 55 days→29 days−27
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 0 nights→1 night+1
Warmest year in the record so far: 2024.
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.
Running warm