November 2023 is already the wettest November ever recorded, with double the average rainfall, according to figures from weather bureau KNMI.

So far rainfall has reached 150 millimetres and that, coming on top of October’s rainfall, means autumn 2023 is also likely to be one of the wettest on record. The meteorological autumn runs from September 1 to November 30. 

This autumn has also been extremely warm. “The temperature rise can be clearly linked to the Netherlands warming up because of climate change,” said NOS weatherman Peter Kuipers Munneke. “Autumn has been warming up for decades and is now 1.7 degrees warmer than a century ago. This autumn has been two degrees warmer still.”

Higher temperatures also lead to more rain, he said, with the amount of precipitation rising around 7% for every extra degree in temperature. 

The KNMI published its latest climate forecasts last month, saying Dutch summers will be warmer and winters wetter as the earth heats up. “It will be warmer every season, with more tropical days and fewer occasions when it freezes all day,” the agency said.