Take a dip, if necessary at the end of the working day.
And it immediately becomes a long series of warm days with temperatures of 25 degrees and more. We are at the beginning of a heat wave. In the Netherlands, a heat wave is a succession of at least 5 summer days in De Bilt (maximum temperature 25,0 °C or higher), of which at least three are tropical days (maximum temperature 30,0 °C or higher). Some weather models even predict locally a so-called super heat wave.
Those tropical temperatures are not entirely without dangers. So it's extra important to keep yourself cool and to pay close attention to people around you. Public places such as a library, shopping center or a cinema are normally equipped with good air conditioning. Good excuse to leave the house during a heat wave.
public transport
Nobody takes public transport for fun, but in the heat it is really better to avoid this. There is often no air conditioning in older trains or buses that are used. In addition, especially during rush hour, you are nicely packed with countless others. You guessed it, all those people do indeed give off heat. Forget the bus, metro or train and take your feet, bike or take a taxi. Do you have to use the car or public transport? Make sure you always have a bottle of water with you. When trains come to a standstill, the air conditioning in the compartments can fail.
Sun, sea and beach
As an extension of drinking water, with tropical temperatures it is also wonderful to cool off in the water outside. Do you have a lake, sea or swimming pool nearby? Take a dip, if necessary at the end of the working day. On the coast it is also quickly a few degrees cooler, which is very nice with the predicted heat. If you want to go to sea during the tropical days, we advise you to leave extra early. After all, you are not the only one who will and standing in a traffic jam on the way to the coast with these temperatures is no fun.
Do not set the car's air conditioning lower than 6 degrees Celsius below the outside temperature. A temperature difference that is too large is unhealthy and can lead to a cold or a headache or sore throat. Take an umbrella with you in the car. If you are unlucky and have to get out of the car, you are not unprotected in the sun. Before leaving, open the doors or windows of your car. This way the worst heat can escape.
Never leave passengers (including any pets) in a locked car.
don't throw away cigarette
We can't say it enough. Watch out for open fires in forests or nature reserves. Rijkswaterstaat advises road users to prepare well and to take sufficient drinking water with them, because the concentration can decrease due to heat. According to the organization, it is also useful to bring an umbrella that can serve as a parasol if you have to wait for help in the event of a breakdown. Road users must also take into account the nuisance caused by roadside fires as a result of drought in the coming period. Rijkswaterstaat calls on road users not to throw away their cigarette butts.
longest heat wave
Our country experienced the longest heat wave in 1975. On July 29, a continuous series of eighteen summer days began, six of which were tropical. In the summer of 1976, there was a 17-day heat wave, 10 of which were tropical.
The heat wave in the summer of 2006 between 15 and 30 July was also one of the longest and most intense in at least 16 years with a length of 100 days. That was the second heat wave of 2006. The criterion for a national heat wave was also reached between 30 June and 6 July.
In 2018, the longest heat wave ever was achieved. The maximum temperature in De Bilt did not rise above 28 degrees on July 25, so this summer has two heat waves: from July 15 to July 27 and from July 29 to August 7.
