Coastal Netherlands Braces for Windy, Wet Week, With Northwest Bearing the Brunt
The Hague, Netherlands – residents along the Dutch coast are preparing for a week of strong winds and heavy rainfall, with the northwest of the country expected to see the most notable impact. While the Netherlands doesn’t experiance distinct dry and wet seasons, a pronounced seasonal difference exists between coastal and inland areas due to temperature variations between the sea and the air. This week’s weather pattern exemplifies that dynamic, bringing gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour and localized downpours.
The current conditions are driven by a temperature contrast: cooler seas and warming land in spring, or warmer seas and cooling air in autumn. This creates rising air currents and subsequent showers. Currently, the sea is warmer than the air, leading to showers forming over the water and moving inland with a west wind, diminishing as they travel further east. This results in Noord-Holland experiencing nearly twice the rainfall of Limburg during the fall months.
Monday saw the strongest winds, with force 7 or even 8 along the coast, and the heaviest rainfall concentrated in the northwest. Tuesday continued to bring showers, primarily to the north and central regions, with a high of 17 degrees Celsius. Wednesday is forecast to be the coolest and cloudiest day, barely reaching 17 degrees, and even lower during rainfall.
looking ahead, the weather is expected to improve towards the end of the week, with potential temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius and a decrease in rainfall, even along the coast, starting on Thursday.
