The past year has been the third warmest in the Netherlands since record taking began in 1901, with an average annual temperature of 10.9ºC, the Dutch KNMI weather service says.

No single month, moreover, conformed to usual weather patterns, according to the annual report by weeronline.nl. Summer came in the spring, autumn in the summer and spring in autumn. March, April, May and November were exceptionally dry. July, by contrast, was the wettest since 1966, with an average rainfall of 140 millimetres.

The meteorological summer (comprising June, July and August) was the wettest since 1901. April averaged 12ºC, far more than the historic average. May, November and December too saw temperatures well above the usual averages.

Lost harvests
All five continents experienced unusual weather extremes this year. Thailand suffered its worst and costliest flooding in nearly 50 years, claiming over 600 lives. Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya were hit by their biggest drought in 60 years, worsening food shortages and famine there. In the United States, the Mid-West hasn’t had any rain for nearly a year, with estimated damages of six to eight billion dollars as a result of forest fires and lost harvests.

The extreme weather even affected Antarctica, which registered a record -12.3ºC on Christmas Day, well above the average -26ºC for that day.

Climate change
Meteorologist blame the extreme weather on La Niña, the cold stream in the Pacific Ocean west off Latin America, believed to be responsible for heavy rainfall in Asia and cold fronts in the United States. Due to climate change, extreme and unusual weather patterns are here to stay, many experts warn. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is urging governments to take more measures to cope with the extreme weather conditions.

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