Just 11 millimetres of rain fell in July, making it the driest since records began, weather bureau Weeronline said on Monday.

Tuesday’s showers in the west and north will add just one millimetre to the total, which will remain well below the previous record of 16 millimetres set in 1921.

With almost 330 hours of sunshine, July 2018 is also the sunniest since 1906 and is set to beat the previous record of the sunniest month ever, which dates from May 1989.

However, despite the high temperatures, July 2006 remains the hottest on record, with an average temperature of 22.3 degrees. This month’s average, even with a heatwave, will not be higher than 20.7 degrees, Weeronline said.

The KNMI weather bureau expects the sunny weather to continue all week, with the best of the sunshine forecast on Thursday and Friday.

It will stay dry, with temperatures ranging from 23 to 27 degrees, up to the weekend. The KNMI long-range forecast puts the likelihood of change before mid August at just 30%.