Overview
- On Wednesday the KNMI raised warnings to code orange and the Nationaal Hitteplan became active, prompting coordinated national and local heat responses.
- Rijkswaterstaat extended a hitteprotocol for Wednesday and Thursday that instructs crews to quickly bring motorists with breakdowns to tank stations or parking areas with facilities.
- Public transport was disrupted: an OV strike stopped NS trains between 04:00 and 08:00 and the NS reduced services on several routes to limit heat-related equipment failures.
- Roadside aid groups reported a notable rise in breakdowns, ANWB prepared extra crews for thousands of pechgevallen, and sensors showed road-surface temperatures above 50°C in some places.
- Municipalities changed operations and events were cancelled or moved as bridges and other infrastructure experienced heat faults and the RIVM warned of worsened air quality from ozone.