Businesses that focus on holidays are highly dependent on the weather. After a somewhat wetter start to the year, August has proven to be an excellent holiday month for a domestic holiday. August was the fifth warmest August month ever with an average temperature in De Bilt of 19,3 degrees against 18,0 normally.
The sun regularly dominated the weather. With a national average of 248 hours compared to 205 normally, this August came in sixth place in the list of sunniest August months. It was also dry with an average of around 60 mm across the country compared to 88 normally.
No heat wave this August
This month of August, there was no heatwave anywhere in our country. In fact, we did not record a heatwave the entire summer , which is exceptional nowadays. The last time this happened was in 2011.
In De Bilt it was summery warm on eight days with 25 degrees or more. With that we experienced a fairly normal month in terms of summer days. Normally there are nine summer days in August in De Bilt. In terms of warm days we were well above average. The temperature rose to 28 degrees or more on 20 days in our country compared to 24 normally.
Tropical temperatures also passed by this month. In De Bilt, the mercury rose to 30 degrees or more on two days. This happened at the beginning of the third week of August, when heat was transported from Southern Europe to our country. This resulted in crowded beaches, as it was still the height of the summer holidays.
The highest temperature nationwide was also recorded during this period, specifically on August 13. In Nieuw Beerta, the mercury rose to 34,9 degrees. This was also a date record and the highest temperature of the year so far. There is a very high probability that this will remain the highest temperature of the year. The lowest maximum temperature in the country this month was recorded on August 21. In Lauwersoog, it did not get much warmer than 18,4 degrees.
Sunny August
The solar panels have had a productive month and many sun lovers certainly had nothing to complain about this month. The sun shone much more often than usual this month with 248 hours. Normally the sun shines about 209 hours in August. However, it was not as sunny as two years ago. Then we experienced the second sunniest August ever with no less than 289 hours of sunshine. This August ends up in 6th place of sunniest August months ever measured.
A dry month
We have had a very wet year so far, but August was definitely drier than usual. In the end, 58 mm of precipitation fell compared to the normal 89 mm. This made the month a lot drier than usual, but there were major regional differences. For example, by far the least precipitation fell in the coastal areas. In many places, the amounts here were between 30 and 50 mm. Further inland, much more rain fell, with 50 to 70 mm on a large scale. Even more rain fell locally. The highest amounts of precipitation were recorded in Ter Apel and Noorbeek in South Limburg, with 102 mm and 106 mm respectively.
Notable weather events
The month was also accompanied by several extreme weather events. A Code Orange warning was issued twice due to severe thunderstorms that swept across the country. On the evening of August 13, a Code Orange warning was in effect for Limburg and Overijssel due to severe thunderstorms and potential flooding. While it did not cause major damage, it did produce many spectacular images.
On August 24, heavy thunderstorms also swept across the country, and in Overijssel, Gelderland, North Brabant, and Limburg, a code orange warning was eventually issued . However, intense showers also passed over Utrecht, Drenthe, and Flevoland. The severe thunderstorms caused considerable damage. Downbursts were the main culprit. In Meppel, a strong downburst caused many trees to be blown down and damage to houses, cars, and fences. Many trees also fell in Hollandsche Rading, near Utrecht.
Another notable event took place on the night of August 12 to 13. It was a very warm night with minimum temperatures exceeding 20 degrees in many places, making it a tropical night. Moreover, there were a great many shooting stars that night, and to top it all off, the Northern Lights were also visible! The following day, the temperature in Nieuw Beerta (Groningen) reached 34,9 degrees. Never before had it been so warm on August 13 in our country.
Source and more information: www.weeronline.nl/nieuws/weeroverzichten-2024-augustus