The year 2024 in the Netherlands set records for heat, rainfall, and storms, according to weeronline. It was a year characterized by minimal winter cold, an unusual lack of ice days, and a significant amount of extreme weather events.
With an average annual temperature of 11.8 degrees, 2024 tied with 2023 as the warmest year ever recorded in the country. This temperature surpassed the normal annual average of 10.6 degrees. Both the average maximum temperature of 15.7 degrees and the average minimum temperature of 7.7 degrees were significantly higher than usual, with the warm nights contributing the most to the overall warmth.
Notably, the year saw an almost unprecedented lack of frost. Only 22 frost days were recorded, a stark contrast to the usual 52 days. The previous record for the fewest frost days was set in 2014 with 26. Even though no severe frost was registered in De Bilt, temperatures below -10 degrees were measured in other areas of the country, including Limburg where temperatures dropped to -10.4 degrees on January 18.
For the second consecutive year, the Netherlands failed to record an official ice day in De Bilt, marking an unprecedented occurrence. The lowest maximum temperature recorded was 0.0 degrees Celsius on January 17. In contrast, some regions, such as Twente and Hupsel, experienced five ice days, with temperatures remaining below zero throughout the day.
2024 also witnessed a high number of warm days, with 102 days registering temperatures of 20 degrees or higher, surpassing the normal 97 warm days. The first of these occurred on April 6, and the last was on October 17 with temperatures reaching 20.0 degrees in De Bilt. Though the year had a normal number of summer days, 28 in total, no heatwaves were recorded, a rarity since 2011. This was in contrast to many other regions of the world, where prolonged heat spells became the norm.
The year was also extraordinarily wet, with the total precipitation reaching 1,054 millimeters, well above the average of 865 millimeters. This made 2024 one of the top three wettest years on record. Bergen in Noord-Holland, a region regularly impacted by heavy rainfall, received a staggering 1,296 millimeters of rain. December alone marked the eighth month in the year with more than 100 millimeters of rainfall.
However, despite the excess rain, the country experienced fewer hours of sunshine. The total number of sunshine hours was 1,751, below the normal 1,813 hours. This marks the first time since 2013 that the Netherlands has failed to reach its usual sunshine average.
In terms of extreme weather, 2024 saw seven storms, with the strongest winds recorded in November. Storm Conall, on November 27, brought wind speeds of up to 128 kilometers per hour in some parts of the country. The storm led to a code orange warning for the northern half of the Netherlands, while the Wadden Islands saw wind gusts reaching 128 kilometers per hour, nearing a storm force of 10.
Throughout the year, the country was placed under code orange alerts nine times, mostly due to strong winds, severe thunderstorms, and icy conditions. The most notable warnings were issued during storms Henk and Isha in January, as well as during the heavy rain and thunderstorms in August and November. For the first time since 2011, there were no code red warnings issued.