Persistent cloudy conditions and anticipated rainfall during New Year's celebrations
The Netherlands is experiencing an unusually grey and chilly December, with the country covered under a code yellow fog warning issued by the KNMI weather bureau. The month has seen only 27 hours of sunshine so far, less than half the average for December.
Despite the fog, the weather forecasters predict little change in the weather by the end of December. Temperatures are expected to range from 6° to 9°, making it a chilly winter for the Dutch.
The eastern inland areas such as the province of Drenthe or Gelderland are expected to experience colder temperatures and possibly lower rainfall than the western coastal zones, which tend to be milder but wetter. However, specific modern localized climate data for the Netherlands is not provided.
The greyest ever December on record was in 1911 with just 14 hours of sunshine, but this year's December is not expected to break that record. December 9 to 19 was the longest period without any sunshine since 1990.
Looking ahead, the weather is not expected to improve significantly. Rain is predicted to return on New Year's Eve and January 1, and the KNMI predicts that January 2025 will start off grey and overcast.
Despite the gloomy forecast, there is no prediction of sunshine for the days following New Year's Eve and January 1 in 2022. The sunshine total at the start of the month reflected sunny weather, but it seems that the Netherlands will continue to be covered in fog for the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, the Netherlands is experiencing a grey and chilly December with little sunshine and a code yellow fog warning. The weather forecasters predict little change in the weather by the end of December, and rain is expected to return on New Year's Eve and January 1.
