Today is officiallly the warmest December 17 on record after a temperature of 15.3 degrees was recorded at the De Bilt weather station near Hilversum.

This is almost two degrees warmer than the previous record of 13.5 degrees, which was recorded in 1989. In addition, Thursday’s temperature has equaled the record set for the warmest December day since records began, the KNMI weather bureau said.

December 2015 is now likely to end up as the warmest December on record, weather forecasters say. The average temperature is currently 8.6 degrees, and that is 1.3 degrees warmer than the existing record.

Last week, the national statistics office CBS said the Dutch spring is starting earlier every year and climate change is likely to be the cause.

For example, the breeding season for song birds has shifted from mid-May in the 1980s to the beginning of May nowadays, the CBS said.

The average temperature in the Netherlands has risen 1.5 degrees over the previous 100 years and this year is expected to be the warmest on record, the CBS said.