The past few weeks have seen the Netherlands enjoy some unseasonably mild temperatures and gorgeously sunny skies. But, just as everyone starts to get into the groove and look forward to the days being longer and brighter, the Dutch weather has taken a turn for the worse. By the end of this week, weather forecasts are predicting clouds, rain, and temperatures of below 10 degrees.

Rain and sleet on the way as temperatures drop to below 10 

The recent burst of warm weather meant that, just last week, the Netherlands recorded its warmest March 22 since records began, as people across the country basked in the sunny weather and made the most of temperatures reaching as high as 20 degrees. 

While temperatures dropped slightly over the weekend, on the whole, conditions remained favourable - but Monday morning has seen most of the country wake up to cloudy skies, as temperatures dip as low as 12 degrees in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Groningen. 

Things aren’t set to cheer up any time soon either. While the cloud cover will likely clear up over the course of Monday afternoon, Tuesday will see temperatures drop further and the north of the Netherlands could see some rain. From Wednesday onwards, temperatures aren’t expected to reach any higher than 10 degrees, with meteorologists warning that rain - and potentially sleet - could be on the cards. 

The Netherlands records sunniest March ever

This rather bleak forecast comes as the Netherlands looks back on an exceptionally sunny March. Earlier this month, meteorologists reported that the country had seen a record amount of sunshine in the first 10 days of the month, and now with just a few days left to go until April arrives, Weerplaza has reported that this month is already the sunniest March the Netherlands has ever seen. 

Generally, the Netherlands sees around 145 hours of sunshine in March, but by Monday morning, meteorologists had already recorded around 230 hours of sunshine, beating the record of 208,4 hours set in 2014 by a mile. While the final few days of the month aren’t expected to be anything special weather-wise, experts say the figure could reach as high as 248 hours. 

In addition to being exceptionally sunny, March 2022 has also been unusually dry, with much of the country only receiving a maximum of 10 millimetres of rain so far this month. Authorities have issued warnings for an increased risk of forest fires and, depending on what happens this week, this month could end up being the driest March on record.