Dutch climate by region: compare sunshine, rain and temperature

If you can choose where to live in the Netherlands, weather may be one part of the decision. You might care about winter light, a comfortable cycling commute or how a bedroom feels in summer. Comparing the seasons gives you more useful information than looking for one place with the “best weather”.

The comparison uses KNMI’s 1991–2020 climate normals for eight stations: De Kooy, Vlissingen, Rotterdam, De Bilt, Eelde, Twenthe, Eindhoven and Maastricht. These are historical averages over 30 years, not a forecast for 2026 or a promise about the year you move.

Compare stations as regional reference points

Choose two stations above, then look at the months that matter to you. Keep the station names in mind: a measurement at a station does not describe every street, balcony or park in the nearby city.

Monthly patterns can also be more informative than an annual average. A place with a similar annual temperature can have a different balance between winter and summer. For someone who cycles all year, that seasonal difference may matter more than a small gap in the annual figure.

Sunshine hours tell you more than daylight length

Sunshine duration counts hours of recorded sunshine. Daylight length is the time between sunrise and sunset; there can still be daylight under cloud when little sunshine is recorded. A long summer day does not mean the sun shines for all of it.

In these KNMI normals, Vlissingen records 1,889.0 sunshine hours per year, compared with 1,714.6 at De Bilt: a difference of about 174 hours. That comparison is between these two stations over 1991–2020. It does not mean every home near Vlissingen gets 174 extra hours of sun through its windows, or that it will have more sunshine every month of every year.

For a move, check the monthly pattern as well as the annual total. For a home, check orientation, window size and nearby obstructions separately. A bright station average cannot tell you whether the living room faces another building.

More rain does not always mean more rainy days

Rainfall in millimetres measures the amount of precipitation. It does not tell you how long it rained or whether it fell during your commute. A few heavy showers and many light showers can produce quite different experiences even with a similar monthly total.

De Bilt provides a useful example. Its 1991–2020 average rainfall is 85.2 mm in July and 70.8 mm in January. Yet July averages 10.7 days with at least 1 mm of precipitation, compared with 12.6 in January. July has more total rainfall in this comparison, but fewer days meeting that threshold.

The decimal day counts are averages across years. They are not a schedule of next month’s weather, and a day below the 1 mm threshold is not necessarily completely dry. Nor do these two months establish that summer is wetter everywhere in the Netherlands.

For cycling or school runs, use the climate figures to understand the seasonal background, then consult the forecast when planning the actual journey. Monthly totals cannot tell you whether Tuesday morning will be dry.

Look at coastal and inland temperatures in the same season

The coastal De Kooy station averages 4.0°C in January and 17.5°C in July in this period. De Bilt averages 3.6°C and 18.3°C in the same months. This pair shows why it helps to compare winter and summer separately: the station with the milder January has the cooler July.

These are monthly mean temperatures, including day and night. A July mean of 18.3°C is not a typical afternoon maximum, and it does not rule out hot days. The chart also cannot tell you the frequency of a heatwave, frost or a storm from mean temperature alone.

Wind is another separate question. A temperature value does not include the effect of wind on how a journey feels, and this comparison does not provide a wind ranking. Check the actual route and weather conditions for the activities you expect to do outside.

Outdoor climate and indoor comfort need separate checks

Before choosing a warmer or sunnier region for a rental, look at the home itself. Large sun-facing windows can bring in heat. External shading, the ability to release heat when outside air is cooler, insulation and the ventilation system all affect indoor comfort.

An energy-efficient home can still overheat in summer. At a viewing, ask which rooms receive afternoon sun, whether there is external shading, and how bedrooms are ventilated. If cooling is advertised, confirm which equipment provides it and which rooms it serves. Milieu Centraal’s guidance on keeping a home cool explains the practical measures.

Our energy-label guide helps you read the building information, while the heating guide explains radiators, underfloor heating and controls. Regional temperature averages cannot predict the home’s energy bill: the building, your usage and the contract matter too. Include those costs in your budget beyond rent.

How to use the comparison when choosing a place

Pick two stations near the regions you are considering. Compare winter sunshine if that matters to you, then look at rainfall amount and rainy days separately. Finally, compare winter and summer temperature rather than relying on a single annual figure.

Use those observations alongside travel time, housing costs and the services you need. The Amsterdam neighbourhood guide shows how to read local population and facility data without confusing area averages with the conditions at one address.

The figures here come from KNMI’s Klimaatviewer and its 1991–2020 climate normals. All station comparisons use the same period. Annual figures use the published annual values, which can differ slightly from adding rounded monthly figures. These historical normals give the comparison a common reference; they do not freeze the climate at its past average.