Buienradar forecasts 40 degrees in August — but hold up before you buy a pool

We all got scared there for a moment

If you checked Buienradar in recent days and saw temperatures of 40°C and hurricane-force winds forecast for August 15, you weren’t alone. But no, the Netherlands isn’t about to turn into a subtropical disaster zone. 

This, the weather agency has confirmed, was just a good old-fashioned tech glitch.

Thanks to a hiccup in Buienradar’s automated forecasting system, the weather predictions for August 15 went completely off the rails. 

The app and website showed extreme conditions that had many people blinking twice (and maybe reconsidering their BBQ plans).

In reality, we can expect quite a nice Dutch summer day with temperatures of around 25°C.

Where did 40 degrees come from?

So, what happened? Automated weather systems pull data from a mix of global models. They’re fast and powerful, but not flawless.

Especially near the end of forecast periods, minor data delivery issues can cause major visual chaos. It’s a bit like the weather equivalent of autocorrect gone rogue.

The error only affected the final day in the forecast window, and it’s already been corrected. All other days showed an accurate forecast. 

So if you’re still seeing tropical doom, give your app a refresh.

READ MORE | Wet holidays ahead, as the Netherlands braces for a rainy summer

The dramatic forecast was a short-lived digital blip, not a real-life weather apocalypse. It’s fixed, the skies are calm, and if you want the most reliable info going forward, always read the written forecasts along with the graphs. 

So, what’s the actual forecast?

It’s been a bit of a meh summer in the Netherlands, hot and cold, cloudy, and just unpredictable enough to ruin your picnic plans. 

According to Nu.nl, this Friday brings more showers (and maybe a cheeky thunderstorm inland), while Saturday stays soggy in the northeast but turns sunnier elsewhere. Sunday starts dry before the clouds crash the party later on.

But don’t pack your flip-flops away just yet, from Wednesday of next week, things are looking much better. Expect dry days, more sun, and temperatures hitting 25°C or more by Thursday, especially in the south.

Still waiting for that real summer feeling? Drop a comment and let us know how you’re spending the break.

Feature image:Depositphotos

Accuracy, clarity, and a touch of humour — that’s DutchReview. Read our editorial mission.

Emanuela Occhipinti
Emanuela Occhipinti
Emanuela traded pasta for passport stamps, wandering her way across the globe. With a Master’s in East Asian Studies she has a passion for Japanese literature. She decided to settle in the Netherlands to fully enjoy flower culture. When she’s not writing (rare, but it does happen), she’s on a mission to find the perfect skincare product and will gladly corner you for a passionate TED Talk on why sunscreen reapplication is the most important thing.

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