April stands out as the safest month with no severe weather warnings in 15 years
April is the only month in the Netherlands without a single orange or red weather warning from the KNMI in over 15 years. While winter and summer bring the most extreme weather, April remains the calmest, offering peace of mind for outdoor plans and daily routines.
| Key Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Month with no warnings | April (since 2010) |
| Most warnings issued in | January, December, July |
| Total warnings per year (avg.) | 8 |
| Warnings in winter | 48% of all orange/red warnings |
| Warnings in summer | 36% |
| Top causes of warnings | Icy conditions (40%), thunderstorms (33%), wind gusts (19%) |
| Red warnings frequency | 1 in 7 warnings |
| New KNMI feature | Location-based storm alerts via KNMI app (starting summer 2026) |
The KNMI, the Dutch national weather service, is responsible for monitoring weather conditions and issuing warnings to protect citizens from hazardous weather. Its role includes providing timely alerts to minimize risks such as damage, injuries, or disruptions caused by extreme weather events.
Read the full translated article below
April has never issued an orange or red weather warning
April does what it wants. But it turns out to be less extreme than expected. April is the only month in which the KNMI has never issued an orange or red weather warning. April is therefore the calmest month. Most orange and red warnings were issued in January, December, and July.
KNMI warnings
The KNMI, as a government institute, has the safety task of issuing weather warnings. If the weather poses a risk, the KNMI issues a yellow, orange, or red warning. This has been done for over fifteen years. Long enough to look back at how often we have issued orange and red warnings, for which weather phenomena, and in which time of year.
For more than 15 years, the KNMI has been issuing weather warnings with a code
In this overview, we exclude yellow warnings. A yellow warning applies to weather situations that occur frequently, such as periods with dense fog in certain parts of the country. In most cases, you can still go about your day, though we advise extra caution and taking precautions if necessary. An orange or red warning indicates a high chance of dangerous weather with significant impact, potentially causing damage, injury, or major inconvenience.
Most warnings in winter
Image 1 provides an overview of orange and red warnings per year and month since 2010 for different weather phenomena. The number of warnings per year ranges from five to twelve, with an average of about eight warnings per year. This year, 2026, the average was already reached in February.
Nearly half (48 percent) of all orange and red warnings were issued in winter, 36 percent in summer, and 8 percent each in spring and autumn. April has never seen an orange or red warning. After April, the fewest warnings were issued in September and October. The number of warnings per year does not show a clear trend.
Most warnings were for icy conditions, followed by thunderstorms
Red warnings most common for wind gusts
Most warnings were issued for icy conditions due to freezing rain or snow, as we experienced eight times this past winter. These account for 40 percent of all warnings, followed by thunderstorms (33 percent) and wind gusts (19 percent). No orange or red warnings have ever been issued for cold temperatures. About one in seven warnings was a red warning. Of these, roughly two-thirds occurred in winter and one-third in summer; autumn and spring saw (almost) no red warnings. Red warnings were most frequently issued for wind gusts (storms).
Renewed weather warnings
The current color-coded warnings apply per province. This often leads to large-scale warnings, even though dangerous weather frequently occurs in much smaller areas. For example, heavy summer storms usually cause localized damage and inconvenience. That is why we have developed a system to detect and track these individual dangerous storms. This makes it possible to issue warnings for specific storms.
New this summer: receive notifications via the KNMI app for a thunderstorm near your location
Starting this summer, you can receive a notification via the KNMI app when a dangerous thunderstorm is approaching your location. And starting next year, we plan to issue orange, red, and yellow warnings for smaller areas than provinces. By warning earlier and more precisely in this way, the KNMI aims to further reduce the impact of dangerous weather.
KNMI climate report by Peter Siegmund
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