30 September breaks heat record with 24.5 degrees
De Bilt recorded the highest temperature for 30 September since measurements began on Wednesday.
The temperature in De Bilt rose to 24.5 degrees on Wednesday. According to the available measurements, that broke the old record for 30 September, set in 1975.
The record was measured at the KNMI station in De Bilt, the reference location for many Dutch temperature series. The figure of 24.5 degrees applies to the maximum temperature on this specific date. It is therefore a date record, not a record for the whole of September or for the whole of the Netherlands.
It was exceptionally mild elsewhere too. In Hupsel, in Gelderland, 27.1 degrees was measured around midday, according to reports. There, a much older record from 1895 was broken. Differences between stations are normal: local location, wind and cloud cover affect the temperature measured.
The KNMI itself warns that date records should be interpreted with caution. They are based on slightly more than one hundred measurements per date and can therefore fluctuate considerably. A record one-tenth of a degree higher says little in itself about the long-term development of the climate.
Longer series are more important for that development. The KNMI reports that all the years in the top ten warmest years in the Netherlands come from the past two decades. September is also warmer in the current climate average than September was at the beginning of the twentieth century. These are statistical patterns over longer periods, not conclusions drawn from a single warm day.
The warmth does fit within an exceptionally warm period. Earlier KNMI analyses showed that high temperatures in September in the Netherlands can occur increasingly later in the year. That does not mean that every individual record can be directly attributed to climate change; comparisons over longer periods and measurements in multiple locations are needed for that.
The daily measurement is moreover not the same as a climate analysis. The weather record describes what happened on Wednesday, while climate research looks at averages, trends and changes in the likelihood of extremes. The measurement of 24.5 degrees is therefore certain, but its significance must be assessed within a longer series.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The record temperature and the comparison with earlier records were checked against current reporting and KNMI information. The article distinguishes between a weather record and a long-term climate trend.
- confirmed 24.5 degrees was measured in De Bilt on 30 September 2026. — Current reporting gives this maximum temperature. source
- confirmed The old record for 30 September dated from 1975. — The same reporting names 1975 as the previous record year. source
- confirmed 27.1 degrees was measured in Hupsel and a record from 1895 was broken. — This is stated in the ANP report. source
- confirmed Date records are based on a limited series of measurements and should be interpreted with caution. — The KNMI explicitly describes this limitation. source
Editor's note
The measured maximum temperature and the old record come from current reporting; the explanation of the limitations of date records and long-term climate interpretation comes from the KNMI. The measurement is certain, while the broader climate context requires longer series.Sources
- Opnieuw temperatuurrecord voor eind september verbroken — Zeelandnet/ANP
- Dagrecords — KNMI
- Warmste jaren — KNMI
- September is het nieuwe juni — KNMI
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „warmterecord de bilt”
- RTL Nieuws — „warmterecord de bilt”
- FD — „warmterecord de bilt”