November 24 will go down in the history books as the warmest on record, with the temperature reaching 14.7° at the De Bilt weather station near Hilversum, where official records are set.

The previous record of 14.4° was set in 1980. The warmest place on Sunday was Maastricht, where the temperature reached 16.8°.

The temperature is also set to remain between 13° and 16° on Monday, double the average temperature at the end of November, but it well below the 17.2° record recorded in De Bilt in 2006.

There have now been eight warmest day records so far this year, and none for cold.

According to weather bureau Weeronline, the Netherlands has a warm winter ahead, although there could be some light night frosts at the beginning of December. Weather models also indicate a warmer January and February than normal although a chilly eastern wind could have an impact in January.

So far six winters this century have been colder than average, and that means there is a 25% chance of chilly winter this year, Weeronline says.

In addition, eight of the 10 warmest autumns on record were followed by mild winters. And as along as the wind in December blows over the relatively warm North Sea, “a really chilly winter is a long way off”, Weeronline said.