2023 has been the wettest and the warmest since records began in the Netherlands in 1901, and one of the sunniest, the KNMI weather bureau said on Friday.

On average, some 1060 millimetres of rain fell, compared with 795 in a normal year – the average between 1991 and 2022 – while the temperature averaged 11.8°.

Rainfall records are based on the precipitation which fell at 13 weather stations nationwide which will not be fully analysed until the end of January.

The Netherlands enjoyed an average of 1910 hours of sunshine this year, compared with 1774 in a “normal” year, with the best of the weather in coastal areas. Vlissingen in the south had 2065 hours of sunshine and June was particularly sunny.

2023 started off breaking records with a temperature of 16.9° on January 1. Yet later that month the KNMI issued two code amber weather warnings – for snow in central and southern parts on January 20 and for black ice in the south on January 26.

Spring itself was wet, with twice as much rain in March as in the average year.

June was the warmest and sunniest since records began, although the highest temperature, of 34.8° was recorded in Arcen on July 9. The KNMI also issued storm warnings on June 20 and 22 and on July 5 and 9.

October and November were extremely wet but it was also the warmest autumn but one since records began. A cold snap at the beginning of December produced the chilliest weather of the year, with -10.1° recorded in Leeuwarden on December 1.

The KNMI will publish a more complete update of the year’s weather records in early January.