6 tips to survive the weather in the Netherlands

So you arrived in Groningen and everything seems perfect, until… it starts raining. It feels like it never stops. But at some point it does, so you decide to enjoy this little sunny break and go to the park, but, before you even get there, it starts raining again! Now you are wondering: How am I supposed to survive this Dutch weather?

If you hear someone say “Neerslag” they are talking about rain. There are a lot of Dutch words for bad weather. In fact, Dutch people have more words for bad weather than the Eskimos have words. Not surprising in this cool, cloudy and humid climate. And even though the Netherlands has mild winters and cool summers, it has no dry season, which means rain is common throughout the year.

So here are some tips for you on how to survive this unpredictable Dutch weather:

1. Always take an umbrella or a rain jacket
The Netherlands have an average precipitation of 100 minutes per day. It can start raining at any time. Simply be prepared.

2. Download a Weather app
This way you are always up to date when it comes to the current weather. This is perfect to know when the weather will be the worst. Have a look before you go to the groceries, it can save you from arriving all wet back home. We recommend Buienradar and Buienalarm.

3. Enjoy every sun time
In certain periods this can be very rare, so appreciate every second. It might be over very fast.

4. Learn that “You are not made out of sugar”
This is a sentence that you might hear Dutch people say. So even if you get wet, don’t worry, you will not melt. Get through it. It’s what everyone does.

5. Dress properly
Check how the weather and the temperatures outside are. If it is sunny dress less warm and if it’s cold don’t make the mistake of going outside with a T-Shirt. Another go-to tip is to dress in layers.

6. Complain
It doesn’t matter if the weather is good or bad. The weather is a great ice breaker in the Netherlands.

Once the sun decides to come out make sure to go out and enjoy it. Especially in Spring when the flowers start to blossom, a walk in the park is wonderful.

In Summer the temperature can go above 30 degrees (yes, even in the Netherlands). Enjoy a nice cold specialty beer on a café terrace or go swim with your friends. If it gets too warm, simply remember tip no. 6.

Here you can see the average temperatures throughout the year:

In the end, you will get used to the changing weather and enjoy every positive side of it, even if it takes some time.