Today will be extremely hot in the Netherlands, with maximums rising to 36 to 38 degrees inland and 32 to 35 degrees on the coast. It already emerged on Monday that event organizers would have to adjust plans due to the high heat, particularly outdoor ceremonies and events related to the celebration of Keti Koti, the annual holiday marking the anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
In Amsterdam, where the Netherlands will commemorate its history of slavery and celebrate its abolition, temperatures will climb to 36 degrees on Tuesday. The Netherlands abolished slavery in itself and its colonies on 1 July 1863. The country commemorates the atrocities committed against enslaved people every year with a ceremony at the National Slavery Monument in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam. This year’s speakers at the commemoration include caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, and Silveria Jacobs, the former Prime Minister of Sint Maarten.
The commemoration is followed by a celebration for the abolishment of slavery in the form of the Keti Koti Festival on the Museumplein. The Keti Koti festival includes various musical performances and workshops.
On Monday, residents of The Hague were also shown the city’s memorial to enslaved people, making it the last large city in the Netherlands to present a slavery monument. Designed by South African artist Buhlebezwe Siwani, it includes metal silhouettes of residents who are descendants of enslaved people, as well as city youths.
Several hundred people attended the memorial service at the Kloosterkerk before the monument’s unveiling on Lange Voorhout, near the Hofvijver, Omroep West reported. “The Lange Voorhout, the colonial heart of The Hague,” said one observer to the broadcaster.
Weather
A code yellow weather warning is in effect for the entire country on Tuesday, escalating to a code orange for Noord-Brabant, Limburg, and Gelderland at 10:00. Wednesday will also be hot inland, but showers should bring relief later in the day, Weeronline expects.
The KNMI urged everyone in the Netherlands, and especially in Noord-Brabant, Limburg, and Gelderland, to be attentive to the heat today. Stay out of the sun, drink enough water, and avoid physical activities between noon and 6:00 p.m. “Everyone can get complaints like dehydration and overheating, but especially the elderly and people with vulnerable health, and during physical activities,” the meteorological institute warned. “There is little wind, a lot of sun, and it can feel stuffy.”
Tuesday morning started with bright sunshine and quickly climbing temperatures. The south and southwestern provinces will hit the tropical limit of 30 degrees before the morning is out.
In the afternoon, temperatures will climb further, reaching 35 to 37 degrees in Noord-Brabant, Limburg, and possibly also in parts of Gelderland. Some places may hit 38 degrees. In Noord-Holland, Flevoland, Drenthe, Groningen, and Friesland, it will be a few degrees cooler, but still tropically hot. A weak onshore wind will make it feel slightly less hot at sea.
Tonight will also be sunny and hot, with temperatures dropping very slowly. Inland, it will be tropically warm in the first half of the evening. The coastal provinces can expect temperatures between 25 and 29 degrees. Minimums will eventually drop to around 18 degrees in the west and around or above 20 degrees in the east and southeast. “It will not only be warmer than the previous night, but the air will also be much more humid, which will make it oppressively warm,” Weeronline said.
Wednesday morning will look a lot like Tuesday, with abundant sunshine and thermometers climbing quickly to 30 and above. In the afternoon, a large number of cumulus clouds will develop in the west, bringing with them showers and downpours. The wind will also turn towards the north to northwest, bringing significantly cooler air into the country.
But inland will still have an extremely hot day. “The showers will probably not move eastwards from the west until late in the afternoon or evening,” Weeronline said. And the cooler air will only reach inland late in the day. “Which means that it can still reach 38 or 39 degrees here.”
On Thursday morning, the showers will move away to the east, and a dry afternoon with sunny spells will follow. It will be noticeably cooler, but still pleasant summer weather with temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees. Friday will also be dry, but from Saturday, a period of changeable summer weather will begin, bringing more showers, but no significant change in the temperatures.