Before midday, Monday, November 2 had already broken temperature records in the Netherlands, becoming the warmest November day ever recorded.

November 2020 the warmest November ever

At 11.40 am in De Bilt - a town near Utrecht and home to the Dutch weather institute (KNMI) - it reached 19,1 degrees, breaking the previous record of 19 degrees, which was recorded on November 6, 2018. This is only the latest in a number of temperature records broken in the Netherlands in 2020. 

Wilfred Janssen, meteorologist at Weerplaza, said that it’s unusual to have such high temperatures so late in the year, stating that this is only the fifth time since records began in 1901 that temperatures above 18 degrees have been recorded in the Netherlands in November. 

Janssen also notes that all the temperatures broken in 2020 have been for high temperatures, not low temperatures, saying “we think we can speak of a trend after 11 months."

Weather in the Netherlands this week 

After a very gloomy and grey October, many might be hoping for a spot of sunshine this November. However, don't hold out too much hope - you know what the Dutch weather can be like. While the temperatures may be extremely mild for this time of year - Maastricht and other areas in the southeast of the Netherlands may reach as high as 20 degrees - it looks as though the cloud is set to continue. 

Luckily, from Wednesday right through to the end of the week most of the country is set to remain dry, with foggy mornings and potentially a little sunshine in the afternoons. Temperatures will gradually drop to more typical temperatures for this time of year - around 11 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, with highs of 13 degrees currently predicted for Saturday afternoon.