Netherlands Weather: Everything You Need To Know

Climate

The weather condition of the Netherlands is controlled mainly by the maritime climate. Due to this Netherlands experiences cool winters and warmer summers with high humidity. As per its topography, the entire country sees a somewhat moderate climate with very little difference from one place to another.

The main difference is between the coastline and the eastern part of the country. This difference can be seen mainly in temperatures of summer and winter as well as between day and night. Another feature of the Netherlands climate is… rainfall takes place throughout the year and is higher during summer days.

Temperature

Netherlands experiences cooler temperatures (as low as 0 degrees C) during winter days and higher temperatures (as high as 23 to 25 degrees C) during summer days. The difference in temperature between day and night during winter is lesser (5 to 6 degrees) compared to spring, summer and autumn (when the day-night difference is around 8 to 10 degrees).

In January and February, the lowest temperature of Amsterdam falls to around 0 to 1 degree Celsius whereas the highest temperature normally does not exceed 5 to 6 degrees. During the blooming time (spring) it gets much warmer. March is a typical transition month with 10 degrees in the daytime and 2 to 3 degrees during nights. April and May see much higher temperatures from 14 to 18 degrees.

June, July and August is typical summer for the Netherlands with temperature touching as high as 23 degrees and the lowest temperature hovering around 12 degrees. Autumn sets in September but still is a relatively warm month with the highest temperature of around 19 degrees. October is another transition month towards winter. November and December are typical winter months.

Sea Temperature

Since the Netherlands has a long coastline and several great beaches. During the first three months of the year, the highest sea temperature remains around 6 to 7 degrees Celsius. In April and May, it is around 9 and 11 degrees respectively. Sea temperature rises to a comfortable zone during summer and is welcome by the beachgoers and swimmers. During summer the sea temperature remains around 17 to 18 degrees C.

The North Sea however does not become too cold even during September and October when the highest sea temperature remains at around 17 to 18 degrees. During November and December, the highest sea temperature comes down to 12 and 9 degrees respectively.

Rainfall

The Netherlands receives rainfall throughout the year. In most cases 50% of any month sees rain. However, during summer rainfall is much higher both in terms of the number of days and quantity of rains. January receives almost 70 mm of rain in about 17 days of the month. February sees moderate rainfall. During March the rainfall is much higher although in April it is again very moderate. Rainfall in May and June is similar to that in January and March. From July to December Netherlands experiences much higher rainfall with maximum rainfall in July and October (of around 80mm).

Humidity

On the average Netherlands is a country with higher relative humidity. The average yearly humidity is around 82%. Humidity remains over 80% from January to March. During spring it’s a little lesser, around 75%. Summer too experiences humidity under 80%. From September again an increase in humidity takes place touching around 90% in December. Even with high humidity, you won’t experience much sweat in Amsterdam due to other weather conditions.

Sunny Days

The Netherlands sees brighter days during summer than winter. In January on average sun shines for a couple of hours every day. But in May maximum sunny hours averages 7 hours per day. In February sunny hours are a little more than in January whereas March sees almost double and April experiences triple the sunny hours than January. From May to August Netherlands sees maximum sunny hours. From September the sunny hours starts to decline. December usually sees the minimum sunshine with a monthly average of only 49.3 hours.

Wind Speed

The wind direction in the Netherlands is usually towards the southwest. Wind speed varies from 15 KPH to 23 KPH. During winter, often higher wind speed increases chillness in the air. In summer wind speed remains comparatively lesser.

Snowfall

Usually, 4 months witness snowfall in Netherlands- December, January, February and March. December receives the highest snowfall with an average of 6.4 inches. Amsterdam witnesses an average of 25 days of snowfall in a calendar year. April and November may receive negligible amounts of snowfall.

Weather Chart

(Temperature, Rainfall, Snowfall, Wind Speed, Humidity, Sunny Hours are averages for Amsterdam. The rest of the figures are averaged including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Hague.)

Best Time to Visit Netherlands

From the climatic condition, it is clear that the best time to visit Netherland is during summer. But remember summer sees maximum tourists. So alternatively you can consider spring or autumn to visit this country. The cold is moderate in spring and the main attraction of spring is blooming Tulips. In autumn you will again find a moderate climate. You can visit the Netherlands even during winter with enough woollens.

Travel Tips

Pack your bags keeping the climatic information in your mind but do not ever forget to carry a raincoat or an umbrella while visiting the Netherlands as this country receives rain throughout the year. During summer the amount of rain is more. One last quick look at the weather highlights of the Netherlands.

• July and August are the best months with pleasant average temperatures
• August is the hottest month
• January is the coolest month
• November and December are the dampest months
• April is the driest month

Also Read

• Know about Netherlands tourism before you travel