News Weather
Local precipitation peaks, but it remains bone dry.
Some places in the Netherlands received more rain this weekend than during the entire month of May. In the far southwest and east of the country, a considerable amount of water fell in a short time. In most places, the precipitation remained at just a few millimeters. Meanwhile, many crops are desperate for a drink of water.
April 2026 was exceptionally dry, with an average of only 8 millimeters of precipitation according to the KNMI. On many places that was even less. A dry April is not unusual in itself for our country. On average, this month is the driest of the entire year. According to the KNMI, it is a trend that spring is becoming increasingly drier. In addition, it was also significantly sunnier than average, with 257 hours versus 196 hours on average. That, too, is a long-term trend.
44 mm #field rain from Friday evening. Then 1.2, yesterday evening 12.5, the rest this afternoon. Water on the beet fields, Biervliet, Zeelandic Flanders. In hindsight, I should have my #flax no need to irrigate. 2 mm in the whole of April 2026. pic.twitter.com/eyhMPPuuzh
— Ivo Haartsen (@ih83_zvl) May 3, 2026
Locally abundant water
The situation changed last weekend. At least, for some farmers. In parts of Zeeland, Brabant, and the eastern Netherlands, a lot of rain fell in a short time. 25 to 30 millimeters or more was measured. In most other places, the tally remains stuck at a few millimeters. The irrigation reels cannot leave the fields there yet, because little precipitation is forecast again for this week. Also among the participants of the Boerenbusiness Dutch Crop tour are these precipitation differences reflected.
Fortunately, the showers did not cause any real damage. An exception to that rule is perhaps Limburg, where very heavy hail fell locally on Saturday as a result of thunderstorms. In South Limburg, there was also severe flooding. Bad news for newly emerging crops or potatoes that have just been planted.
No brakes on irrigation
The drought has so far caused little stir in arable farming. Certainly, more is needed for that, especially with potatoes. High fuel prices and negative market expectations have also not led to a reduction in irrigation. After all, a good start for your crop is crucial. On clay soil, many onions, but also sugar beets, were irrigated to get them above ground. That was no easy task given the strong winds. A few growers even irrigated their potatoes before tilling, for ridge formation, and to get some moisture to the tubers. In the southeast of the country, the sprinklers were in operation in the winter barley fields now that the ear has emerged well and grain filling has begun.
In the meantime, we're burning off some more diesel. pic.twitter.com/rdAAUZQjQX
— Theo Jansen (@TheoJansen77) May 2, 2026
It is only during tuber formation that things really come down to the stakes for potatoes. If it remains dry in May, the consequences could well become noticeable. In addition to the drought, the wind and, especially, the temperature also play an important role. At night, temperatures are often still quite low, resulting in only mediocre crop growth. It is precisely the rapid growth of crops that many arable farmers are aiming for, now that they have less and less control over crop protection measures. At many farms, there was little urgency to be seen this spring when sowing beets and onions, with the idea of benefiting from higher (soil) temperatures and rapid crop growth.
Heavy showers on the way?
The wind is shifting to the north this week, bringing cooler and somewhat gloomy weather our way. This will not bring much rain yet, but the truly dry and arid weather is over. Current weather maps predict more changeable weather for mid-May, combined with higher temperatures. As a result, the chance of thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall increases. After mid-May, it now looks like it will become dry again, although the uncertainty remains very high.
Friday afternoon right #fertilizer Salted and just a rain and thunderstorm - 20 mm in the rain gauge. Tight planning and a lot of luck that it actually rained, because it kept looking like according to #rainradar so that we wouldn't get anything. Very happy with it.https://t.co/6O2p5zkEb2 pic.twitter.com/3HYyHPFyMN
— Hendrika (@boerinhendrika) May 3, 2026
For dairy farmers, the persistently dry weather has actually been an advantage. In the central and southern parts of the country, virtually all the grass for the first cut was mown and ensiled over the past two weeks. A combination of plenty of sunshine, drought, and low nighttime temperatures has ensured that this cut is very high in sugar. Ensiling a drier product counteracts the adverse effects somewhat, which was not a problem given the combination of wind and sun. Next week, dairy farmers in the Northern Netherlands can also get fully started with the first cut, thereby creating the much-needed space for spreading manure.
In Belgium, precipitation fell mainly in the east last weekend. The coastal areas remained dry. The north of France also remains very dry. In our eastern neighbours, rain fell mainly in the border region with the Netherlands. A total of about 10 to 20 millimeters. That the drought is having an impact on the crop development The Mars report already showed that as well.
Niels van der Boom
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