It’s terrace time: Friday is the warmest March 21 on record

Friday is both the first officially warm day this year and the warmest March 21 since records began, according to weather bureau Weeronline.

The temperature reached 20.4° shortly after 1pm at the De Bilt weather station, where official records are set. The previous record – 20.3° – dates from 1938. A day is considered warm if it tops 20°.

The Friday heat means March 21, 2025 is the fifth official weather record-setting day this year. The run started a month ago on Friday, when the temperature reached 17.9° in De Bilt – the warmest it has been so early in the year. New records were also set on 6, 7, and 8 March.

Weeronline says there have now been 188 new warm weather records since the turn of the century, compared with just 19 for cold weather.

The weather will turn this weekend, becoming slightly cooler with a 40% chance of rain. Next week will be mostly overcast, with some sunny spells and showers, and temperatures more in line with seasonal averages of around 13°, the KNMI weather bureau said.