This May may be the wettest since records began in 1906, broadcaster NOS said on Tuesday.

So far more than 20 centimetres of rain has fallen in the south of Brabant and Limburg, four times the monthly average. And in the De Bilt weather station near Utrecht, where national records are set, the amount of rain is creeping up to the 2007 record of 13.8 centimetres, NOS said.

But despite the huge volume of rain in places, in parts of the north it has been dry. Just 47 millimetres of rain have fallen in Hoogeveen, for example, which is two-thirds of the normal amount.

KNMI researcher Carine Homansays it is impossible to say if the wet May and April mean anything for the summer. The same weather models that predicted the rainy spring do not give a clear trend for June, July and August, she said.

The KNMI forecast says Thursday and Friday will also be wet but that Saturday, the start of the meteorological summer, the rain will give way to sunny spells and temperatures in the low 20s.

The agency’s long-term forecast predicts a 70% chance of a dry start to June, with plenty of sunny spells.

Weeronline.nl says in its summer forecast that the holiday period is likely to be warmer than average.