February has been a notably mild but gloomy month, according to data from Weeronline. While temperatures remained high, sunshine was limited across the country.
The average temperature reached 5.8°C, which is significantly warmer than the long-term average of 4.4°C. Meanwhile, the sun shone for an average of 76 hours, well below the usual 95 hours expected for the month. Rainfall levels remained close to typical, with 58 millimetres recorded compared to the climate average of 65 millimetres.
The month also saw fewer cold-weather incidents. Typically, February experiences 11 days of frost (vorst), but this year only five days were recorded. Regional differences were marked, however. In the north-east, particularly in Nieuw-Beerta (Groningen), temperatures dropped below freezing for 14 days. Conversely, Vlissingen (Zeeland) recorded no frost at all. Consequently, the north was more susceptible to wintry precipitation and black ice.
Weeronline expects the final week of the month to be the mildest on record. The average temperature in De Bilt for this week, calculated from both day and night readings, is 10.5°C. This surpasses the previous record of 9.5°C, set in 2021.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
