Dutch weather warning extends into Thursday as snowy, icy weather continues

Warnings of ice-covered roads and sidewalks across much of the Netherlands remained largely intact on Tuesday. In the hardest hit northern provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe, as well as the Frisian Islands and Wadden Sea area, the alert was downgraded from a Code Red to a Code Orange with meteorologists still calling for caution into Thursday. Snow is a possibility in the Northern Netherlands, the national weather agency KNMI announced in their alert. The Code Orange is expected to stay until midnight, when it will likely continue as a Code Yellow with a chance of black ice and sleet. This warning could remain at least until noon on Thursday. A yellow-level alert will also cover Noord-Holland, Utrecht, Flevoland, Gelderland and Overijssel beginning at about midnight. Snow and icy conditions are a likelihood, and drivers should remain cautious, the KNMI said. Meteorologists expect the warning covering the middle of the Netherlands to be lifted by midday on Wednesday. The warning was completely withdrawn for Zuid-Holland. Along with Limburg and Noord-Brabant, the weather there is expected to have scattered rain showers with temperatures peaking at eight degrees Celsius.