Thursday is the hottest June 15 on record, with the temperature reaching 30.6 degrees in Arcen in Limburg, weather bureau Weerplaza said.

The temperature ranged from 22 degrees in the north to over 30 degrees in the south, but cloud will gather in the late afternoon and there could be thunderstorms in places, Weerplaza said.

The previous warm weather record for June 15 dates from 1957, when the temperature reached 29 degrees. The coldest June 15, by contrast, was just 9.5 degrees.

Both Weerplaza and the KNMI have issued a code yellow weather warning for Limburg ahead of the forecast storms but say no real disruption is expected.

It will be cooler on Friday but the heat will be back at the weekend, with temperatures up to 29 degrees on Sunday and early next week.