The Netherlands and the rest of Europe have been experiencing unusually warm temperatures well above winter averages thus far this season.
The weather bureau Buienradar said Monday that the main factor behind the exceptional weather currently being experienced in Europe is an air mass generated in Spain and over the Atlantic that has moved across the continent, bringing unprecedentedly warm conditions.
Temperatures in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland and the Netherlands broke national records, while local records were broken in France, Germany and Ukraine.
The Dutch weather service KNMI described the New Year weather as the warmest since records began in 1901.
The “spring” weather- with temperatures averaging three to four degrees above normal – will last at least until the end of the next week.
The unseasonably warm January follows a year of record warmth across Europe in 2022, which saw the continent experience the highest summer temperatures on record.
Meteorologists warn that 2023 is likely to be one of Earth’s warmest years, with the average global temperature forecast to be between 1.08°C and 1.32°C above pre-industrial levels.
