Warmest September 1st in the Netherlands Ever, but Ground Frost Comes Early

September in The Netherlands has been a rollercoaster of temperatures, and if you’ve been around, you’ve probably felt it, too. On September 1st, we experienced the warmest day on record, making it feel like summer was giving us one last hurrah. But don’t get too comfy in those sandals—just 12 days later, we saw ground frost for the first time this autumn!

According to Weeronline, on September 13 the temperature in Enschede dipped to a chilly -0.3 degrees “at clog height,” which is just ten centimeters off the ground. You might be wondering if ground frost this early is out of the ordinary. Well, it’s not exceptionally early, but it does beat the usual late September timeline.

Earliest Cold

Weeronline reports that from 2018 to 2022, the first ground frost after summer consistently occurred in September. In 2018, it was on September 1st, in 2019 on September 18th, in 2020 on September 20th, in 2021 it was -0.2 degrees in Woensdrecht on September 21st, and on September 20th, 2022, the temperature in Eelde dropped to -0.4 degrees.

The latest recorded ground frost was in 2014, when it lasted until November 5. It happened the earliest in 1973, when on August 22, the temperature dropped below freezing in several places in the country. Last year, it first frosted in October.

Late Summer

Despite the fact that the first days of the coming week will be considerably warmer than last week, late summer only really starts on Wednesday. It will then be very sunny, and the temperature will rise to 23 or 24 degrees. Thursday and Friday, we can also enjoy extremely sunny late summer weather. Locally, it can even become summery warm with temperatures of 25 degrees. So, whether you’re enjoying a stroll through the tulip fields or biking along the canals, layer up and soak in that Dutch autumn charm!